A Cosmic Journey
by Sleepless Elite
Summary: One minute asleep in an apartment, the next clearly not. This is no quest with a goal, no adventure voluntarily undertaken. This is a journey without acquiescence, a constant fight for survival, with the creatures of Grimm being just one problem. This is a story, now woven into that of many others, that better not end anytime soon. (SI/OC) (OC/?)
1. Chapter 1: Dead on Arrival?

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Hello FNDM, Sleepless Elite here. I've been a fan of RWBY for years now, and after reading many fanfics figured that I'd give my own idea a shot. Like the description above mentions, this is a SI/OC fanfic, and if you have reservations about the idea and practice I completely understand as it may not be for everyone. That being said, I ask that any interested or potential readers give the story a proper shot, to see if I've done right by the idea and the RWBYverse. As for why I decided on an SI/OC, I think that literally writing oneself into a markedly different set of circumstances can be a creatively introspective process. You have to really sit down and think about what you would really do in a given situation, and not just fulfill an idealized version of yourself in your head. Believe me, I've scrubbed over this chapter about eight times trying to avoid any Sue characterizations, and hope to keep the same level of vigilance going forward. And of course, I endeavor to portray any and all canon characters written in what I hope is their truest interpretation. If there is any original information I add to a given character it'll hopefully be compliant with their canon histories and personalities, unless it's completely unavoidable and I've painstakingly thought it over and given advance notice and explanation.**

**In addition to the A/N in the beginning, I think I'll try and have one at the end of every chapter as well, so keep an eye at the bottom for a couple interesting ideas and explanations I've got there. And that's, that's about it. Without further ado, A Cosmic Journey. Hope you enjoy the read!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, all rights are owned by Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum, R.I.P.**

**Chapter 1: Dead on Arrival…?**

**Chapter Date: 08/26/219**

I didn't know what was stranger: the feeling that the hardwood desk my head had been slumped against felt noticeably harder, or that the air smelled distinctly crisp and fresh, compared to the stagnant air of the city. Opening my russet brown eyes, I sat up and looked around.

…

'You know, when all those grad school students told me how going to grad school would make you lose your marbles, I honestly thought I'd at least get to start classes before losing it. Clearly not, because nothing around me makes sense.'

I was in some sort of forest, with sturdy branches twisting off trees and reaching dozens of feet in the air, foliage nearly blocking out what must have been moonlight save for the rare sliver. The ground had little in terms of undergrowth, but was covered in a healthy spread of grass just visible in the dark…

'WHO CARES ABOUT ANY OF THAT? WHERE THE HELL AM I?!'

I'd literally just put my head down for a break after hitting the books nearly all night, in the confines of my _snug_ (read: small) apartment in Manhattan. How and when the hell did I go from the concrete jungle to a literal jungle?

'Ok, think it through, don't panic. Jersey is right across the river, it's definitely got huge forests and parks and stuff. I was probably just taken from my apartment and dropped into some park…scratch that, _definitely_ panic! I got _kidnapped_ into the middle of some _forest_ in _New Jersey_! That's four crappy things right there, and yes, being in New Jersey counts as two!"

Then I remembered New Jersey was right across the river. Meaning…

I jerked around, pulling at my jean pockets and sifting through my earphones and keys before yanking out my phone, holding it in the air with both hands like some offering to the gods.

'Oh sweet Jesus, they didn't take my phone! And it's got battery! I retract everything I've ever said about the state, if I make it out of here I'm moving here for life! Wait, that makes no sense, I wouldn't step within a hundred miles of this place!' A mountain of cold reality hit when I checked the screen again.

'No signal? Dafuq is this, I'm supposed to have spotless-ass coverage nation-fucking-wide! Either some chucklefuck out there is dropping all the balls, or…'

…

'…or I'm not in the country anymore.'

I shivered like liquid nitrogen was shot through my veins, before growling and getting to my feet. Checking the battery on my phone, I shut it off for now to conserve battery life.

'Unh Unh, we are _not_ doing this right now.' I ground out, adjusting the jeans trying to slip off my waist. "We are going to _march the hell_ out of whatever remote place we're in, we are going to contact _someone_ to find us, _and then we're gonna find whatever terminally stupid idiot with a death wish had the balls to KIDNAP ME and DROP ME IN A FOREST_!"

It occurred to me that those last few parts were likely said and then shouted out loud, given the silence ringing in my ears. It was after that silence that I then noticed three very important things:

One. My growling stomach was telling me I needed to move fast before food became a more immediate priority.

Two. Looking at my stomach made me realize something was seriously wrong with my clothes. My shirt and jeans may not have been painted on me, but I shouldn't have been able to see down the neckhole of my shirt and have to roll my jeans just to keep them from sliding.

Three. On further inspection, I realized it wasn't my stomach doing the growling.

Slowly, in infinitesimally small degrees, I turned around.

Coal black fur, coating a body that made Great Danes look like cocker spaniels. Claws longer and sharper than every kitchen knife I owned, with ivory spikes jutting out from nearly every joint on its quadrupedal body, with a tail lazily whipping back and forth. A mouth of razor-sharp canines, surrounded by a decorated skull-like structure affixed to its growling head. From within came two orbs of pure crimson, somehow shining in the night and yet sucking all the remaining light around it.

The thing before me only had one name that I could place upon that description, but my mind refused to acknowledge the impossibility, instead going for the next best thing.

'That's a _big_…wolf.'

We eyed each other for a moment, before the B-wolf! The _wolf_ decided it wanted to indulge in its snack. Howling into the sky, it zeroed on me before lunging forward.

I was already flat-out booking it as fast as my stubby legs could carry me. Chancing a glance back, the _large wolf_ was already closing in on me like a damn bloodhound, which I guess it was in a way.

"SHIT! SHITE! SCHEISSE! MIERDA!" I swore at the top of my lungs, my voice sounding high from all the hyperventilating. I had maybe four seconds before this thing caught up and pounced. Looking around, I spent all of one second swiveling trying to find a plan, and roughly zero thinking before whipping my arms out and launching myself at a branch I could grab. As it was, my fingers barely latched over the top and scrabbled for a hold before I hauled myself on top of the branch and jumped up for a higher one.

SNAP!

The branch I'd just left was shredded by the thing's claws like it was half-ply toilet paper. Giving into my inner squirrel, I bounced up to higher and higher branches till I was about two stories up. Glancing down, I saw the B-! _The wolf_ sauntering around my tree, like it was looking at some sort of annoying puzzle. Noticing something at the edge of my vision, I looked down at myself, nearly fell and became food out of sheer shock.

I had never been a huge guy by any definition of the word, but I should've had legs longer than TWO FEET! My arms looked even closer to the twigs that my friends sometimes joked that they were. A glance down at the predator gave me the slap in the face I'd somehow been avoiding.

'My clothes…they didn't loosen, my body's _fucking tiny now_! No wonder why _that thing_ looks like a damn bear! Shit, I've gotta be less than five feet right now!' I ran my fingers through my short locks of black hair out of nervous habit.

Another howl from below refocused my _immediate_ priorities. "I'll deal with my physical crisis of identity later! I need to find a way down this tree and outta this forest before I'm a meal for The-thing-I'm-not-calling-it! If I just climb down a couple branches, I can try to jump-"

KRRRRCCHHH!

CCCCRRRNNNNCCHHH!

A great series of tearing sounds resounded below me, and I gazed in naked terror as claws repeatedly gouged tough wood, sending wood chips everywhere as a hole the size of my mini-fridge opened up in the tree.

"Or I can jump now, that's JUST FINE!" I screamed as the tree groaned and began to tip in the _opposite direction_ of where I'd been aiming. I leaped up and out, shooting for the sturdiest branch on the much younger tree within my reach. As I sailed forward, I caught the barest glimpse of the view over the tree's canopy.

'Lights?'

CRRAASSHH!

WHAM! The good news: I'd reached the branch I'd been aiming for. The bad: my landing was awful, and I was probably coming away from it with a broken rib, definitely some bruising at the very least.

CREEEAAK…

Aaaand there was the ugly news…

The branch I was holding onto gave way and I plummeted downwards, grunting as I slammed through another branch before smacking against the ground on my side.

'Pain. Great pain. Mistakes were made.' My non-bruised side was definitely bruised now.'

Shoving myself off the ground, I staggered to my feet as the dog, yeah, that's what I'm calling it now, stepped around the downed tree with an almost gentle rustle of leaves. Crimson orbs stared at my own russet brown, as an impossibly long and _gray_ tongue licked a menacing set of jaws.

'…Alright, fuck all of this.' I clenched my fists, sharp tingles running up my arms from where bark had scraped my forearms and palms.

Slowly, I bent down and picked up pieces of the two branches that'd snapped on me, holding them as improvised weapons as I planted my feet wide, back towards the tree I'd fallen from. All the while, neither of us broke eye contact.

"Like _Hell_ I'm dying here to some Teen Wolf wannabe. I'm kicking your ass, marching out of this forsaken forest and socking whoever put me here even if I lose my damn arm in the process."

I couldn't outrun it, couldn't hide from it, and we both knew it. I had a snowball's chance in Hell of overpowering something strong enough to tear trees apart, but that was just it: I didn't need to overpower it.

I just needed to survive it.

"Come on then. Come On." I bared my teeth and snarled.

The Wolf's howl pierced the night, as I let loose a shout of my own.

"COME OOOONNNN!"

By the time I'd moved it had covered half the ten yards separating us, but I had about twelve percent of a plan to work with, my right arm rearing back. "HEY! FETCH!"

Chucking the piece of branch as hard as I could, the wood spun lopsidedly through the air before thunking off the Wolf's skull. With barely a flinch, it twisted its head back around and snatched the branch out of the air with its jaws. As teeth sheared through the wood, its right arm streaked diagonally downward towards my head spelling certain death. Diving to the side for all I was worth, I saw claws cut through air less than a foot from where I was now. Gritting my teeth before I lost my nerve, I grasped the other branch in both hands and drove it down onto its outstretched arm with a dull crack. The momentum staggered it just the briefest of steps, time that I used to jackknife back to my feet, back the hell up and reset the distance, grabbing another branch piece for my right hand as its head swiveled back towards me.

As it turned, I noticed that the claws on its right arm were still pristinely sharp. The paw they were attached to though…that hung a little limply.

'Ok, so a full killshot on a human or regular wolf is worth about a broken wrist or hand or something." I had something between a grin and grimace on my face as I shook my arms out, the echoes of reverberations from that one strike still rocking my arms. Whatever muscles I had in my shrunken body were taxed from the running, climbing, fighting and just all-around terror. "I just need to repeat that strategy about a hundred times, preferably on parts that aren't as tough as a piece of rebar.'

"WHAT'S THE MATTER? I THOUGHT THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A CHALLENGE!" I roared. This was essentially my whole strategy: piss it off, dodge the claws, whack it somewhere soft, rinse and repeat. One of the _many_ issues with that plan was that I didn't know if this thing understood words.

**GGGRRRRAAAAAAAAHHHHH!**

…Judging by that bone chilling roar, I was inclined to say yes. Therein was another problem: if this thing adapted to my shambles of a plan I was screwed.

Leaping off the ground with its hind- and right forelegs, the Wolf hurtled itself forward with a sweeping left arm directly in line for my head. Having no time, I dropped as if my legs had been cut from under me, banged my left kneecap against the ground, then rocketed upwards when the left arm grazed the hairs on my head. Swinging with the left branch, I smashed its left arm with all the strength I could muster, as the branch split apart from the repeated impacts. Before I lost the chance, I sliced down with the right branch onto the left side of its skull. This time, I swear I heard a small crack, but whether that came from the branch or its skull, I would never know.

Movement from the periphery of my vision gave me just enough time to bring the branch up in a vertical block, only for the Wolf to fucking _backhand_ straight through the wood. Plowing through, its forearm crushed my right arm into my chest and sent me flying, _literally_ flying over a dozen yards. I hit the ground and rolled a few more before ending with my face pressed into the ground, my left arm slung over my head to fruitlessly ward off any potential concussions. Considering that it sounded like explosions of noise were bombarding my ears, there was a high likelihood the effort failed.

'Well shit…' "KHAAAGGH" '…I tried capitalizing and ended up overreaching…' "AAARRRGHH" '…not a mistake that I can come back from.' Hazily, I heard the thing howling up a storm, its echoes through the forest making it sound like I was surrounded on all sides.

Propping my working elbow against the ground, I pushed my face off the dirt to stare at what was now the certain cause of my death, claws and teeth and all. 'If I pray to all the deities I can think of before this thing attacks again, will I have a chance?...Nah, it'd be a bit late at this stage in the game, and I think I'd be blaspheming the monotheistic ones. Let's just get this over with…' "RRRRGGGH!"

Leveraging myself to my feet, I hunched over, my right arm dangling limp at my side and my left clutching at what I was sure were multiple broken ribs at this point. Throbbing on my back, arms and just about everywhere else told me where the friction burns were. I stared scornfully at the predator watching me, as if sizing up whether I was capable or motivated to put up a fight anymore. If my physical state wasn't telling enough, the waves of palpable despair I must've been giving off surely satisfied it. Licking its chops once more, it bounded forward to rend life from my body.

'Alone at the end…maybe I'll see them all again soon...' I could almost hear them, like voices calling out to me…

As it lunged towards my neck, I stared it right in its pupil-less eyes…and completely missed when the world lit up in color.

**BOOOOOOOOOM!**

I was flung back, flipping through the air once, twice, three times before I saw the ground rushing up towards my head. Knee-jerk reflexes shoved my arm in between first, hitting the dirt with a solid thud. Rolling onto my back, I wheezed as spots of color, either red or purple or everything in between assaulted my eyes. But undeniably, shining clear in the sky now without the treeline around, a hauntingly beautiful shattered moon cut through into my vision.

'Guess I can't…play the fool anymore…that was a Beowolf…meaning…'

A shadow stepped into my space, and my exhausted eyes caught the silhouettes of two figures blocking out the moonlight before my world went dark.

'Heh…Welcome to Remnant…"

**A/N: Aaand break. Hope everyone enjoyed this first chapter. I tried to write it setting the tone for future chapters, as a more realistic, tougher depiction of existing on Remnant, especially without Aura. The length was a bit short for my tastes, but I'll be able to make future chapters longer once I've got more than one character to work with. As for the fight with the Beowolf, I did some re-watching of episodes to figure out how big, strong, fast and tough this creature of Grimm could and should be. The Breach and Volume 4 character short were especially helpful there, and I stuck with the most recent design of the Beowolf as both videos show that yes, 1:1 the average citizen without aura is pretty much screwed against even one of the weakest Grimm. Alright, onto the fun stuff. Well, funner.**

**Those silhouettes at the end there? They're unknown for a reason. I've got a few ideas for where this story could lead, and each of them involve those two people being different in each one. I'm having a tough time deciding, so I'm putting up a taste of all three! Following this first chapter will be three Chapter 2's, each going down a different path and highlighting a different pair of people. If you happen to have an opinion on which choice you prefer or are so inclined, I'll be setting up a poll on my profile and will note any preference choices in any reviews received. I'll leave the poll up for 2 weeks, and afterwards I'll tally everything up and take one week to write the chosen Chapter 3 from then on. For reference, I aim to be providing chapters weekly, barring any extenuating circumstances. As for what day of the week, still thinking that one over but will post that too once I've got an answer.**

**So, exciting times ahead! I hope you've all enjoyed this chapter and any of the next ones. Any reviews or constructive criticism will be noted and appreciated.**

**See you all in three weeks!**

**Until then,**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 08/26/19**


	2. Chapter 2A: Option 1

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Hello again, SE here. As promised, immediately following the first chapter are the potential storylines this first arc and story can take. Feel free to read just one, two or all three, and there's no specific order to be had. Again, if you decide upon a preference for which choice you'd prefer all are welcome to cast their vote in the poll on my profile, which will be up for two weeks. All reviews will also be taken into account and as always any favorites or follows are greatly appreciated. See you all at the A/N at the bottom!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, all rights are owned by Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum, R.I.P.**

**Chapter 2A: Option 1**

**Chapter Date: 08/26/19**

The first thing I noticed upon waking was that my arms and stomach seared from what were definitely bone fractures. The second was that said arms were raised and bound, which took precedence over the first as I opened my eyes and tried sitting up. All I managed was having my ribs flare in greater pain, and a groan escaped my lips as I looked around.

From the position I was laid up in and the minute turns I could make with my neck, I was in some sort of infirmary or hospital bed, complete with the white sheets and the railings. Up high was a soft white ceiling that gave the whole room an airy, acoustic atmosphere. There were other beds to my sides, in what I assumed were a line. Some were occupied by figures that I couldn't see from my position, with some laying still and others in various degrees of visual and audible pain. At the side of my bed was an end table, atop of which laid the tattered remains of my clothing. Reaching my right arm out of the sling that it was placed in, I bit back a hiss as I felt my jeans to confirm that at least my phone remained in the pockets.

"Ah, our intrepid visitor finally awakens. I was starting to get worried my aura-locked medical skills had gone rusty after so many years. I suppose the old man will wanna hear about this."

The sound of footsteps approached my bed as I looked over at the speaker. He was rather tall, at least six feet with salt-and-pepper hair and narrow, piercing hazel eyes. He was removing what looked to be a surgery covering from his scrubs, as his other gloved hand picked at the face mask he wore. In his hand was a small mirror that he brought up to my eye level.

"Sorry for binding you up a little tight, but it's better for your body in the long run. I figured you'd wanna see your face to finish the checkup. Anyway, I'm Doctor Theodore Caduceus, but just call me Ted. Everyone else does."

'Yes, let's call you Ted, and not the other guy who you look _so_ much like right now.' I barely was able to tear my eyes away from his face to get the first clear look at myself since ending up in this shrunken body. Short black hair just shy of a buzz cut laid on my head, matching the dark limbal ring around the russet brown irises of my eyes. A straight-and-narrow nose matched with high cheekbones to give my face an angular feel. Even lips narrowed at the reflection, and I turned to the side to confirm the appearance of a birthmark next to my left eye. Most importantly, however, was the fact that this face was devoid of the hard-fought maturation that came from the hellish era of puberty.

He must've taken my shock at his appearance and my own as shock at the circumstances, as he coughed and add, "Anyhow, the old man and his number two'll be here in a moment. I'm sure they'll explain things to you better than I can for this sorta thing. I should probably get back to these other screw-ups. But don't worry, if you ain't dead by the time you get to me, you're in the clear."

Ambling off, I barely had time to start breathing again after that shock before another voice spoke.

"Well, it's fortunate that initiation was finished rather swiftly this year. We were already on our way over when Ted notified us of your awakening. Good afternoon, young man. How are you feeling?"

This time, my jaw dropped from both the circumstances and appearances of the two people walking through the infirmary entrance.

A head of seemingly unkempt silver hair hung over black eyebrows, inquisitive copper-brown eyes and shaded spectacles. Black and green alternated as his clothing with a black suit and shoes and green vest, shirt and pants. Completing the ensemble were the almost symbolic ornate cane and simple mug he carried.

His companion had gold-spun hair tied into a bun, revealing bright green eyes framed by thin glasses. Matching teal earrings and pendant along with a purple cape complimented her white pleated shirt and black pencil skirt, leading down to black stockings and boots. Held in her hand was a collapsible crop.

'I know I accepted the situation last night right when I was about to die, but having very live fictional characters standing in front of you is still a pretty difficult thing to swallow!'

Then what the man said registered somewhat in mind, leading to my next intelligent comment.

"Initiation…afternoon?"

'_Perfect_, I'm sure neither of them are questioning whether I have brain damage.'

To his credit, or possibly discredit, the man clearly believed that I was just ignorant of the circumstances and provided, "Yes, Glynda and I managed to save you from a tragic death in the middle of the night, and you have slumbered here in the infirmary since then. And today was the initiation test for all potential first-year students at Beacon Academy."

'Yup, this' Beacon. Which means…'

"I am Professor Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon. With me is my friend, teacher and Deputy Headmistress of Beacon, Glynda Goodwitch."

'There it is.'

"We came here directly after the assigning of teams to first and foremost confirm the health of you and all injured potential students, be they successful or not in having completed the initiation." Ozpin continued, apparently oblivious to the literal knowledge bombs he was dropping on me. "Moreover, we wished to ascertain the circumstances behind your appearance and the subsequent attack on you. Now, is there anything that you would like to tell us about last night?"

'Oh god, I'm actually on Remnant. Yeah, I am absolutely screwed, I know fuck-all about this planet and just got my ass kicked my one of the weakest enemies possible! Not to mention my body's regressed back to fucking preadolescence here, and I have _no_ _idea_ what to tell Ozpin about any of this, because I _literally have no idea what happened_!'

"Ozpin, you clearly are overwhelming the poor boy with information that, while explanatory, is _not_ helping his situation." Goodwitch chastised Ozpin with a roll of her eyes, then turned towards me. "Why don't we start with something simpler? What is your name?"

My eyes widened momentarily, only to narrow just as fast. 'If only she knew just how _simple_ that question really is. I can't use my real name, because it doesn't follow the damn _color rule_! Okay, no big deal, just think of a random color and roll from there, aggh no I don't wanna be stuck with something like Umber Clay for the foreseeable future, not to mention it'd probably sound suspicious. Something Asian to pass as Mistralian and sounds like a color, aaaaaaaahhhhh…'

"Kouzai." I replied finally, trying not to look like I had just pulled it from the memory banks of manga I've read. I just hoped it would pass muster to the two of them, especially Ozpin, who was looking at me with an almost intense focus.

"Kouzai, hmmm…light and dark. The name is Mistralian, if I remember correctly?" asked Ozpin.

"I believe so." I replied. 'Oohh, thank you Japan for being the origin of anime!'

"And what of your surname?" prompted Goodwitch, obliterating whatever relief I'd just managed to obtain.

"Uhhhhh…" came my wise response. 'Alright, time to activate Bullshitting Mode, at least half the reason I graduated college!'

"I…I can't remember what my last name would be." I whispered, which made both adults present raise their eyebrows slightly, with the tiniest, most unnoticeable crack showing on Goodwitch's usual stern face.

"I see…" Goodwitch murmured, fingers slackening from their grip on her crop. "Do you remember how you came to be in the Emerald Forest?"

"N-No, I don't remember anything of how I ended up there. I don't even remember who on Remnant my family is." I replied. 'Both statements are entirely truthful, it's just that my family is _not_ on Remnant. Wait, they found me in the Emerald Forest the night before initiation? That has to mean something!'

While Goodwitch seemed to be trying to recover from the wham lines I'd just given her, I asked Ozpin, "Why were the two of you in the forest during the night?"

"A sound question, Kouzai." Replied Ozpin, taking a sip from his mug of _cocoa_, not _coffee_. "The answer being that every year before initiation begins, the staff at Beacon sends some of their most capable members to make the Grimm levels in the Emerald Forest manageable for potential first-year students to handle. However, this system is not infallible, and the skills of potential students may fluctuate and still lead to injury, as you can see from your temporary roommates around you."

'Makes sense, even with the cameras that they somehow have in the forest there's obviously better ways to ensure safety.' I thought, nodding my head before responding. "So why were both of you out there at once, if you're so important to the school?"

"Well, to be completely honest, it's not a very safe policy to maintain, but really, extermination of the Grimm in the Emerald Forest is a simple matter for the more senior members of the staff. In all actuality, Glynda was doing most of the fighting, and I was present as backup in the very worst case scenario. Oh, and as a conversation partner."

"Not that your contribution of interrupting my focus was very helpful." Muttered Goodwitch, her stare back to Grimm-melting levels as she glared at Ozpin as if to both reprimand his non-action and challenge him to refute or even acknowledge her statement. No response came, but all parties present knew what she had said, and knew that Ozpin had heard.

"So, last night, when I was about to…you know, that explosion of purple was you, Miss Goodwitch?" I asked, trying to take a bit of the heat off Ozpin. 'Seriously though, that explosion almost did me in, I flipped _three times_ before hitting the ground!'

This time Goodwitch's visage broke slightly, a dusting of pink on her cheeks as she coughed into one hand off to the side. "Yes, that blast was admittedly caused by my aura blasts. After a night of exterminating Grimm and listening to the _Headmaster_, my control was a tad lacking. When I saw that pack of Beowolves surrounding you I'm afraid I indulged in the protocol of 'shoot first, ask questions later.'"

"Pack of…OOOHHHH!" I exclaimed, specific memories from last night coming back to me. "So, those other explosions and howls that I thought I was hearing?"

"The sounds of Professor Goodwitch handling the remainder of the Beowolf pack responding to the call of the one you were in combat with. Which does bring me to my next point." Ozpin answered, taking another long sip from his mug.

'Coffee could've been explained away with the rigors of running an academy, but nooo, it had to be cocoa.' My eye twitched. 'How are the man's teeth not completely decayed with how often he drinks the stuff?'

"Ah, much better. Now, as I was saying, your fierce, if brief, combat with the Beowolf has clearly left you with numerous injuries, both visible and not. While I do not disparage your choice to have fought the Grimm, the fact of the matter is that you have injuries that will likely leave you bedridden for weeks in order to avoid any complications. Even then, you will most likely only receive a clean bill of health after a matter of months. Despite society's best efforts to advance medicine and Beacon's generous and cutting-edge stores, the only alternative to speed up this process any further is have your Aura unlocked."

"I don't have any problems with that, I would welcome being able to healing faster." I replied, confused. 'Seriously, who would turn down the option to get the ability to have forcefields, increased healing, increased strength, and maybe a semblance?'

"I'm afraid the issue isn't so cut and dry as you may believe." Goodwitch cut in, her 'teacher' face on as she dove into her explanation. "In unlocking your Aura, you would be required to undergo the necessary lessons in order to gain the knowledge and ability to properly use it. While this may not sound like a problem, the investment of time is something that many people are unable to or do not want to make. In addition, you will have to register yourself with the Remnant Database of Auras."

"There's a database of all the people with unlocked auras? Wouldn't it be extremely long?" I asked. 'Guess they take this stuff seriously. But really though, why doesn't everyone just have an unlocked aura and lessons on using it? The Grimm would probably be toast…er, well, maybe except for Salem and all the ancient Grimm.'

"It's not as extensive nor as complete as you might think." Goodwitch corrected, pushing her glasses into place. "One of the purposes of having a registry of all known individuals with Aura is that it aids authorities in keeping track of potential criminal leads, be it possible locations or people who might have unlocked the aura of a criminal. Moreover, the database acts as a form of early warning system to the number of individuals throughout the kingdoms with Aura. Contrary to belief, Aura is not just an energy source with no weaknesses. Besides the training and knowledge required to use Aura, the concept that Aura is the manifestation of the soul lends itself to the fact that use of Aura, both intentional and not, dramatically increases the level of 'soul', and therefore emotion identifiable."

"Meaning that unlocking everyone's aura would be like sending a flare to the Grimm to attack locations." I whispered, eyes wide. "Without proper training, it would be a self-consuming action in the end."

"Exactly." Confirmed Goodwitch, actually flashing a rare smile. "And even if training the populace at large to use Aura was a feasible and practical idea, it would never catch on. Both the citizens and councils of the kingdoms would never acquiesce to the altered and drastic increase on the importance of aura in everyday life. The citizens because of the time and effort involved, and the councils because of the drop of usefulness for the militaries, huntsmen and huntresses of the kingdom, meaning less propaganda in their campaigns and policies."

"_Politics_." I almost spat, and the vitriol in my voice must've been evident because both Ozpin and Goodwitch were surprised but smiled, with Ozpin letting out a good-natured chuckle.

"Indeed. So you see why the decision to have your Aura unlocked carries with it a good deal of impact and consequence. Perhaps giving you additional time to consider the offer would be more proper, but given what I saw last night, I believe that you can come to a decision rather promptly." Ozpin added.

'What he saw last…oohhh, the fight! He means my decision to fight, 'cause I hope to God it's not the skills I displayed. Am I some sort of potential investment to him to be a future huntsman, or a piece in his war against Salem? Count me the fuck out of joining his crusade, _the man doesn't even have a plan right now to kill her_! But with initiation done, there's less than a year left until the Fall of Beacon, and without Aura and some level of training the chance of me dying the next time I see a Grimm skyrockets! Aaaahhh, damnit!'

"I would appreciate having my Aura unlocked and receiving any training you would be able to provide." I said as level as I could. 'I have to play this right. Get Aura, get the training, but _don't stand out_! And don't tell Ozpin anything about the future! The second I do, I'll be so deep in his inner circle I'll probably be living out of his office, and there goes my life!'

"Excellent. Professor Goodwitch can see to having your Aura unlocked, and then we will talk regarding your training." Said Ozpin, stepping back to that Goodwitch could take his place by the head of my bed.

"Is there any reason that you won't be unlocking my Aura, sir?" I asked, confused.

"Although I am known as the youngest Huntsman to ever become a Headmaster, there are areas where even I profess to be lacking in. Try as I might, unlocking the Auras of others has never been a process that has worked well."

'Hmm, maybe it's because of the whole amalgamation-of-souls business. Or is it the reincarnation?' I thought, intrigued. 'Questions for later, I guess.' My attention focused on Goodwitch as she extended her hand towards my head, stopping just short of brushing my forehead.

"Are you ready, Kouzai?" Goodwitch asked, fingers halted from my head like I was a fragile, wounded animal. Actually, considering who was speaking, I probably was.

"Yep, let's do this, Professor." I replied, trying to give as innocent a smile as I could to reassure her. I think it worked, because she smiled back before placing her hand upon my forehead. She closed her eyes, and I closed mine as well, waiting in anticipation for what I knew would happen next.

"For it is in guidance that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of dedication and support to rise above all. Infinite in fortitude and unbound by limits, I release your soul, and by my will, protect thee."

My eyes snapped open as something, a feeling, rose from within. I watched the lavender glow around Goodwitch's body resonate with a silver glow on mine, then fade. The glow around my body steadied, then flared as parts of my body began tingling.

"Huh?...Whoa!" I breathed, as a series of slight itches on my _bones_ and a general sense of tightening on my skin spread across my body.

"Your Aura should already be working to heal your wounds, especially since it has been freshly unlocked." Goodwitch explained, sliding her glasses back into place with no noticeable signs of discomfort.

'Darn, guess my Aura reserves aren't as big as Jaune's. That, or Glynda's got bigger reserves than Pyrrha, I'd buy either one.'

Ozpin stepped back to the front, taking another sip out his _endless_ mug. "Now that you possess an unlocked Aura, the next step is to progress through the standard curriculum on Aura usage and effects. Typically, civilians achieve this by enrolling in a council-funded program where retired hunters provide the basic training necessary on Aura and how best to use it. However, this program is taught with a focus towards adults, meaning that lessons in such a program may not be the most efficient for an individual in your current situation."

'I don't like where this is going…' I dreaded Ozpin's next words. 'I'm twenty-two, for God's sake!'

"Therefore, the most practical solution would be to have you attend a combat school dedicated to the training and usage of Aura, along with other practical combat skills that provide the core of an individual's repertoire in battle, be they a civilian, military or huntsman. Signal Academy is the closest to Vale, and does offer dormitories for students whose homes are located far from the academy or who may not have one. Alternatively, if you desire a more stable home environment, I know of a wonderful family on Patch that I'm sure would be-"

"NO!" I exclaimed, causing Goodwitch and even a couple of the conscious teenagers in other beds to flinch at my shout. Ozpin merely raised an eyebrow, and I realized that he like Goodwitch was waiting for an explanation.

"I'm sorry for shouting." I apologized quickly, the improv wheels running overtime as I spoke. "I don't have anything against Signal or this family…it's just that I know so little about what's going on, including if I have a family at all. Even if it's only for a while, I'd like to stay nearby the forest, in case any information comes. Only if it's alright, of course."

'I'd love to meet Ruby, Yang, Taiyang, maybe even Qrow at Patch. But going to Signal would put me on the fast track for the 'Huntsman and Huntresses for Ozpin to recruit' list, and staying off it is how I don't get sent on death-inducing missions. Plus, if I stay at Beacon, I'll see them soon anyways, and get to stick close to Vale and keep an ear on things.'

"I see." Ozpin murmured. "I must confess that in attempting to mitigate the effects of this tragedy, I forgot one of the factors contributing to it. For that I apologize. As for your request to remain here at Beacon temporarily, it is true that the staff present are similarly suited to provide training and lessons on Aura to children, better than the council's program in Vale. Having access to you in person also allows the opportunity for any further questions necessary to discover a solution to your ailing memory, and instant notification of any updates for your situation. However, the question of your education, or potential lack thereof must also be answered, as well as who your temporary guardian will be while at Beacon. An academy for training Huntsman and Huntresses is a hazardous place for a young boy, even one with an unlocked Aura."

'Crapnuggets, I forgot about school! Damn, it's been years since I've been in public education, I'd say I don't need it but the history, languages, hell even the sciences or what passes for science here are probably completely different.' I inwardly winced at the potential hurdle. Instead, I focused on solving the other issue in the meantime, turning to Goodwitch.

"If it's acceptable, would it be alright if I stayed with you for now? You're nice, and you know a lot about Aura and other things too." I was trying to play the part of the vulnerable, injured boy, but I wasn't expecting what came next.

Raising his eyebrow again, Ozpin took a leisurely sip from his mug, smiled and turned to Goodwitch. "What say you, Glynda? I'm sure the existence of a child, however temporary, would do well to ward off the stream of potential courters, to say nothing of James and Qrow."

Goodwitch looked as if the statement had gone completely over her head, her mask of calm shattered as cheeks burned red from both my request and Ozpin's ribbing. Regaining control impressively quick, she muttered at Ozpin, "I doubt anything would deter James at this point. And I don't know how willing I am to trade one form of teasing by Qrow for another just yet."

Turning to me, her glare softened as she was clearly considering the idea in her head. "Kouzai, while I'm honored, flattered even, that you would think so highly of me, I have no experience in caring for a child, even one as self-sustaining as you. I just don't think…"

"If you're worried about taking care of me, I know how to cook and do laundry and other things, I think." I admitted, before acknowledging Ozpin. "And I don't remember how much I do and don't know yet, so maybe you could do some tests to find out?"

"A fine idea." Replied Ozpin. "I'm sure such stimulation will help you avoid boredom during the shrinking remainder of your stay in the infirmary as well."

"And you don't have to decide right now on taking care of me, since I'll be recovering here for a while." I turned back to Goodwitch, who seemed to acknowledge that point while she was thinking. "Also, if you're worried about the space, I can stay in one of the empty student dorms for a while. At least until the exchange students come to Vale for the Vytal Festival."

I could tell I said something wrong, as both Ozpin and Goodwitch looked at me strangely.

"Did I say something wrong?" I asked nervously. 'Oh god, I didn't give myself away already right? It's been less than a day since I've gotten here!'

"I am unsure if you are unable to recall, but the upcoming Vytal Festival will not be held in Vale, nor will it be held this year." Ozpin explained. "The 38th Vytal Festival will be held next year, in Vacuo.

…

'…Don't…freak out…stay calm…keep your jaw up…'

"You're clearly still tired and recovering from your accumulated injuries." Goodwitch said, patting the top of my head, one of the only parts of my body not wrapped in bandages. She smiled and added, "Get some rest, Kouzai. I will think over your request in the coming days and have an answer for you soon."

As she straightened and began heading for the doors, Ozpin raised his mug towards me and said, "A speedier recovery to you, Kouzai. If you require anything, please feel free to notify Ted, and Glynda or I will heed your request. Until tomorrow then."

As the two left the infirmary, I patiently counted to ten, leaned my head as forward as my bindings would allow, and threw it back about a foot in a pathetic headslam against a soft pillow.

'Oh dear god, this…this changes _everything_. If the 38th Festival is _next year_, then that means the 40th, or the canon year that the show starts…_is FIVE YEARS FROM NOW_…"

Puzzle pieces started falling into place, mostly by falling directly on top of my head.

'I'm-Was twenty two, five years older than when I started watching RWBY at seventeen. This body of mine is undoubtedly before puberty hit, so I'd probably be…TWELVE?! Oohhhh noooo, this is some real Coeur shit right here; I regressed one year for every one since 17 that I made past canon. Five years forward means five extra years back, putting me at twelve…the same age as almost everyone from the main cast…'

I looked up towards the ceiling and slowly breathed out, in a desperate attempt to reestablish some modicum of calm.

'Ok, this means I've got a total of about six years until the Fall of Beacon where everything starts going to shit. More importantly though, that means I've got six years to figure out a way to get home. I feel terrible for this universe, especially since I know it's real now, but I've got a life waiting for me on Earth. I just need to figure this out…'

I couldn't move my fingers like I wanted, so I settled for drawing imaginary words and lines in the air with my mind, an old thinking habit of mine.

'Ok, there are four general possible ways I ended up here. Let's sound 'em off.'

'First is that some_thing_ from Remnant pulled me here, like the Relics or some experimental form of Dust or semblance. To get back, I'd need to utilize those same methods and figure out how to reverse the effects. Putting aside the difficulty of the latter two as finding a grain of sugar in a shaker full of salt, the Relics are zealously guarded by Ozpin and the Inner Circle. The only way I'd ever be able to access them and find out which ones have the power to get me home, is if I was either invited to use them or if I steal them. One involves the promise of fulfilment presumably after a lifetime of service in Ozpin's war, and the other promises certain death from Ozpin and crew, if not Cinder if I ever actually manage to steal them. The other two are equally if not more impossible, since it'd take years and years of research to find the particular dust or semblance responsible for this, and years more on how to reverse the process. That's time, and likely intelligence that I do not possess.'

'Second is that some_one_ from Remnant pulled me here. The only possible people who could so severely break the universe like that are Salem and the Brother Gods. Asking Salem for anything would either lead me to a swift death, or being pulled into _her_ side to be used against Ozpin, both of which are unacceptable. Considering the Brother Gods would be an exercise in futility, as the only official way to bring them back is to get the relics, already established as impossible. The only other explanation is that one or both of them are present on Remnant, which also doesn't work given that they would've already heard me by now and hopefully whisked me out of Remnant, so all options here are inapplicable.'

'Third possibility is that something from Earth put me here, but again, figuring out science for Remnant would take a level of time and intelligence for learning that I don't have the luxury of. Not to mention I would be playing the most rigged lottery game ever, waiting for the conditions on Earth to match how I ended up on Remnant in the beginning.'

'Last and certainly least is that someone from Earth placed me here, and it's by far the most impossible. If someone, be they mortal or deity, had the ability to rip someone out of one universe and put them in another, the fact that I'm here now means that whoever did so meant for me to be here and isn't going to be bringing me back. Assuming in the most unlikely of scenarios that this was done by accident, whoever did so would've already brought me back. Barely worth mentioning is that there might be two or more individuals in my universe capable of this, but the idea that they haven't already fixed this cosmic failure seems indicative of their acceptance.'

'Overall, I'm stuck here for the _very_ foreseeable future, and at the very least until the overarching plot of RWBY comes to pass, including the part where Salem gets beaten that I'll likely never get to watch. Live through, maybe. That said, so long as I don't get myself put on the game board as a piece for either Ozpin or Salem, there's nothing stopping me from setting the cast up in a better position than in canon. My existence in this universe has already started the butterfly effect to change things, so making a few more small ones won't hurt. If I plan this out right, making the cast to stronger or smarter, or maybe throwing an anonymous wrench into Salem's plans, should raise my overall chance of getting through this whole mess and making it back home. To do that, I need to get my complete bearings of what I'm dealing with here, time period and people and all.'

Coming out of my inner monologue, I blinked for the first time in probably minutes, then reached gingerly for the remote on the right railing of my bed. One button pressed had Ted shuffling back towards my bedside a minute or two later.

"Well well, if it isn't our temporary resident at Beacon here. I heard about everything from the old man an' Glynda, an' I can say without a doubt that you have things _rough_." Remarked Ted. "At the very least, how's life with an Aura treating you?"

"Good, I guess." I replied, putting back on the mask of a preadolescent. "I don't really know much about Aura though, so is it possible for me to get a book on Aura, maybe on its applications and stuff? I think it might help with the healing a bit."

As Ted voiced his agreement and left to send a nurse over to Beacon's library, I considered checking my phone, instead thinking better of it. 'I'm not sure if Remnant has signal the same way Earth does, so I shouldn't chance it right now, especially not while under any cameras.'

I laid back and regulated my breathing as the boulder that was the gravity of the situation weighed on me.

'Five years, huh? It's a long time, and yet not…here we go though.'

**TIME REMAINING UNTIL START OF CANON: 5 YEARS**

**A/N: Woah, quite a bit longer than the first chapter, huh? It really makes a difference when you actually have time to think or have more than one person in a conversation. I plan on making my chapters around this long, don't wanna go too far over though otherwise it'll feel a little packed. As for the structural bits, I'm fleshing out a bit more of the narrative style that I hope to carry on in subsequent chapters, especially that narrow-viewed, unreliable narrator nuance that I feel adds depth and complexity to a story such as this. **

**Onto the more technical stuff then. Hopefully I've portrayed Ozpin and Glynda in at least a slightly realistic manner compared to canon, but if you feel that I'm not feel free to inform me about it. As for any original information, I'll try and keep it light on any additional OCs and only add information when I think it'll sync up with existing information about Remnant and canon. In terms of Aura and its drawbacks, I've taken some inspiration from writers such as Coeur and Imyoshi on some of its broad concepts, like what "manifestation of one's soul" really means and why the kingdoms don't have scores of individuals with unlocked Auras. Moving on from that though, the countdown arc begins next chapter, and I've got plenty of ideas for this storyline, so keep your eyes peeled for any announcements or updates. I may have a preference on which poll choice I'm partial to, but I'd really enjoy writing each of the selections available. Thank you again, and I'll be back shortly with updates.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 09/16/19**


	3. Chapter 2B: Door Number 2

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Hello again, SE here. As promised, immediately following the first chapter are the potential storylines this first arc and story can take. Feel free to read just one, two or all three, and there's no specific order to be had. Again, if you decide upon a preference for which choice you'd prefer all are welcome to cast their vote in the poll on my profile, which will be up for two weeks. All reviews will also be taken into account and as always any favorites or follows are greatly appreciated. See you all at the A/N at the bottom!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, all rights are owned by Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum, R.I.P.**

**Chapter 2B: Door Number 2**

**Chapter Date: 08/26/19**

poke…

"What are you doing to the poor kid?"

'…huh?'

poke poke

"Yes, I know he was twitching earlier, but that doesn't mean that he's close to waking up. He's probably got more bone fractures than years right now, give him his sleep."

'Wait…that voice…'

POKE POKE

"Oh for dust's sake, Neo!"

Of all the sentences in the world to be spoken, that one snapped my eyes open quicker than any other, just in time to see one chocolate brown and one strawberry pink eye staring right back at me.

"AAAAHHHH!" I shouted, trying to bring my hand up. "AAARRRGGGHH!"

Forgetting the state I was in before I clearly passed out, I spasmed on the couch as the searing agony of broken ribs and arm fractures caught up to me.

"Greaaattt, nice job, Neo. A screaming kid's exactly what I like hearing after a late night of patching said kid up. Oh wait, that's just you!" Hearing that voice again as my body attempted to restore order, I twitched my head to the left from its position on one of the armrests to look towards the source.

Backing away from me with a smirk was a diminutive yet well-figured girl, with a face seemingly halved in colors, the right having pink hair and a pink-colored eye, with the left having brown hair and a brown eye…no wait the eye colors just switched. Long white boots and a white tail jacket covered brown pants and a form-fitting brown corset that exposed the hips. Her hands were covered by black gloves, and one held a beautifully patterned parasol slung over her shoulder. Neo Politan bowed towards me mirroring the one she did in her first appearance in canon, smirk still firmly in place.

Behind her was the man I thought I heard. A white suit lined with red popped to the eye, black pants and shoes an afterthought. A gray scarf wrapped around his neck, and the head it was supporting possessed bottle-green eyes with a hint of black eyeliner, slightly covered by a fringe of orange hair. A bowler hat and _very_ dangerous cane clinched the look, as Roman Torchwick sighed with his left hand covering his face.

"He returns to the land of the living. Sorry about that, kid. Besides having near-complete disregard for boundaries, Neo here loves trolling people." Roman threw a halfhearted glare at Neo, who was _still_ smirking. "Anyways, I'm Roman Torchwick, though I'm sure you already gathered that from the news stories and wanted posters. This here is my lovely right-hand woman Neo Politan, and all of this, is one of our safehouses."

'Okay, this is fine, everything is fine. Just because two of the most popular characters in RWBY are in front of you living and breathing doesn't mean you lose your cool. Just greet them politely, and we go from there.'

"Uhhhhhhaahhhhhuhhhhhh…"

'Nailed it.'

"Yeeaaahhh, I'm not exactly sure where to go with that, it's normally either fear or rage. Or both." Roman commented, idly grasping his chin. I imitated the action and grasped at my face to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. "Oh, of course he wants to check his face, after having seen his body go through the wringer. Now those are proper priorities. Here."

Handing me a small mirror, I shakily grasped it with my less-injured hand and brought it to my face. Short black hair just shy of a buzz cut laid on my head, matching the dark limbal ring around the russet brown irises of my eyes. A straight-and-narrow nose matched with high cheekbones to give my face an angular feel. Even lips narrowed at the reflection, and I turned to the side to confirm the appearance of a birthmark next to my left eye. Most importantly, however, was the fact that this face was devoid of the hard-fought maturation that came from the hellish era of puberty. Filing away the boatload of questions my reflection garnered, I turned to look at Roman and Neo.

"Did you…save me?" I was able to string together words this time, as confused as I was.

"Yup, yours truly, and Neo, just added a little black to the ledger by saving you from death by Beowolf ravaging. Which, I'll add, is pretty far up there in horrible ways to go." Roman brushed off imaginary dust from his immaculate suit. "Anywho, now I've got another spot of black in what I'm sure is a sea of red at this point."

"Why?" I was honestly still baffled. 'I know he's not completely heartless, but he had no compunctions going after Ruby pretty hard whenever they met.'

"You'll have to be a teensy bit more specific on the why, kid." Roman answered dryly. "If you mean why Neo and I were on the edges of the Emerald Forest at the dead of night before Beacon's annual initiation, the answer's less terrible than the question sounds. We were just coming back from a heist a little ways out of Vale, and skirting the edges of the forest was the quickest and easiest way back to the comforts of home."

"As for why we, meaning I, saved you, not really sure. It could be that whatever sliver of a heart I've got beating left couldn't bear to see the sight of such a young soul being ripped away from Remnant. Or that seeing and hearing a person get torn to shreds by a Grimm on your way home kinda sours the evening. Maybe it's just curiosity that had me pluck you up, to get the scoop on what the hell you were doing out there."

"So," Roman finished, taking a cigar out of his pocket and lighting it, "How's a munchkin like you end up running around the Emerald Forest in the dead of night, fighting a Beowolf with no Aura, no training and no survival instinct?"

My head was working overtime processing every scrap of what Roman had said so far, but in line with my current size, I childishly shot back, "I think I was doing alright until the end there."

Taking a quick puff on his cigar, Roman chuckled as Neo, seated upon a desk across the room, silently giggled. "Kid, I'll give you props for not trying to run or just pissing your pants and dying right there. Believe me, those reactions are more common than you'd think. But doing alright, you were not. You got, what, maybe three hits, and I shudder to call them hits, in before the Grimm almost backhanded you into the afterlife. And here you are, all dinged up after one hit laid you out. You fight alright for a brat though, I'll give you that."

Roman suddenly snapped his fingers as his eyes lit up. "I just thought about it, I have no idea what your name is! Not that I particularly care or will be inclined to remember, but something tells me calling you kid and brat constantly won't sit well with you."

'Nonono, go back to calling me those, I don't have a name yet! Mine won't roll 'cause it's not a _freaking_ _color_, so think. If Yatsuhashi, Bolin and Ren are proper names then going with something Japanese should pass as Mistralian. Alright, what name works as a color…?'

"I'm Kouzai." I tried to sound as sure of myself as I could, something that I desperately needed in spades right about now. 'I swear to God, if either one of them is fluent in Mistralian, I'm gonna kill someone! After they kill me for lying, of course.'

Roman's apathy must've been real however, as he merely nodded once and took another puff at his cigar. "You certainly look Mistralian. That begs the question of how you ended up at Grimm central, and where your sorry excuse for a family is."

' …He doesn't know that I've been separated from my family, _very_ separated. Just play it cool.' I unclenched my fists from when I'd unconsciously flexed them. "I-, I don't remember how I ended up there. I don't even remember who or where on Remnant my family is, or what my last name is." I replied. 'Technically, none of them were lies, considering I was transported _from a different universe_!'

Roman's cigar stilled halfway to his mouth, and Neo's smirk slowly slid off her face as both of them looked at me with an intensity scarily reminiscent of the Beowolf's blankness.

"That's a crappy hand you've been dealt. Sorry to hear that." Roman said softly. "Neo and I both have some pretty gaping holes in our childhoods where family should be. I get how that kind of thing can bring the bad vibes. No wonder you had that pack of Beowolves after you last night."

"What pack? There was only…OH! Damn!" I thought out loud. "Those other howls were _more_ Beowolves? So the explosions I thought I heard…"

"Dust blasts from Melodic Cudgel here obliterating more Beowolves. Neo also lended a bit of help by having some _good-natured fun_ with a couple of them." Roman supplied. "But more importantly, there's the talk we need to have about what to do with you. In the most non-murdery connotation possible."

"Wha-What do you mean?" I asked. 'Beside the murder, he says.'

"What I mean," Roman stressed, "is that you've got multiple broken ribs, multiple bone fractures on your right arm and a hairline fracture on your left. A diagnosis like that means at least months of recovery before you're back in decent shape, and weeks before you should be back on your feet. Suffice to say, that would probably suck for a hyperactive munchkin like yourself. Fortunately, I, in all my wisdom, have a simple enough idea to help speed things along."

'I think I have an idea of what he's suggesting, but for consistency's sake I need to look and act pretty for my age, and let Roman continue.'

"How does the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have your Aura unlocked by the great Roman Torchwick sound?" Roman joked, throwing his arms out wide. "Act now, and I'll even throw in complimentary lessons on how to use Aura to not get eaten by Grimm the next time you see one."

"That sounds fine." I answered almost immediately. "Seriously, I don't know who wouldn't want to have their Aura unlocked. Its like getting a forcefield, extra healing and more muscles for free!"

I turned again to catch Roman and Neo laughing, as my confusion came back to the front of my mind. "Ah, to be young again. See, things involving Aura aren't as cut and dry as they should be. Once your Aura's unlocked, you'll have to register yourself with the Remnant Database of Auras."

"There's a database of everyone with unlocked auras? Wouldn't it be extremely long?" I asked. 'Guess they take this stuff seriously. But really though, why doesn't everyone just have an unlocked aura and get lessons on using it? The Grimm would probably be toast…er, well, maybe except for Salem and all the ancient Grimm.'

"Well for one, the kingdoms came up with having a registry of all known individuals with Aura to help cops in tracking potential criminal leads, like possible locations or people who might've unlocked a criminal's Aura. The database also acts as early warning for the number of people in the kingdoms with unlocked Auraa. Besides the work you need to put in to use Aura, the idea that Aura is the manifestation of the soul means that using Aura, intentional and not, brings the level of 'soul' up, and therefore emotion identifiable."

"So unlocking everyone's aura would just lead the Grimm to attack locations with high concentrations of Aura users. The kingdoms." I whispered, eyes wide.

"Got it in one." Roman nodded before continuing. "And that sort of thing is why the councils of the kingdoms will never bring that idea to the table. Too much propaganda and not enough stones from the sheep of the kingdoms to put in the work to use it properly."

"_Politics_." I ground out, and my vitriol at the idea must've been obvious, since both Roman and Neo smiled, with Roman laughing like it was going out of style.

"Yup, that's the gist of things. Now, I've obviously got my workarounds for situations like this, and can unlock your Aura without needing to notify anyone on that fact, or at least have it passed off in a way that won't raise questions. Either way though, the choice is up to you, Ki-I mean, Kouzai." Roman finished, puffing on the last bits of his cigar.

If only he knew how loaded of a question that was for me.

'Getting my Aura unlocked puts me closer to being in the firing line, either on Ozpin's side or at this rate on Salem and Cinder's! For all I know Roman's already working for Cinder, sticking around might put me on the priority list of loose ends to close like Tukson! But with initiation done, there's less than a year left until the Fall of Beacon, and without Aura and some level of training the chance of me dying the next time I see a Grimm skyrockets! Aaaahhh, damnit!'

"I think I'd like my Aura unlocked, and to receive any training you'd wanna provide." I said, face like stone. 'For now, having an unlocked Aura under the radar of the kingdoms will keep me out of Ozpin's potential eye. I can worry about Cinder and Salem once I actually have the ability to get away safely.'

"Alright then, let's get to business." Dropping the dregs of his cigar to the floor, Roman squashed them with Melodic Cudgel, before leaning it up against a chair nearby. Walking over to where I was laying, he kneeled down on what I just noticed was a plush carpet, before reaching out with one of his hands. "Are you ready?"

Nodding, I watched as he grabbed my left hand in a clasp, and I closed my eyes as he shut his own, waiting for what I knew would come next.

"For it is in freedom that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of ingenuity and prosperity to rise above all others. Infinite in cunning and unbound by fate, I release your soul, and by my hand, free thee."

I peeked my eyes open as something indescribable rose within me. I watched as the orange glow around Roman's body resonated with a silver glow on mine, then faded. The glow around my body steadied, then flared as parts of my body began tingling.

"Hoo-kay, that feels _weird_!" I breathed, as a series of slight itches on my _bones_ and a general sense of tightening on my skin spread across my body.

"Look's like your Aura's working double time now on getting you back to par." Torchwick strolled back to his cane, looking none the worse for wear.

'Well, there goes the hope of having an Aura as vast as Jaune's. Guess that would be too fortunate.'

"Alright, now that we've got that out of the way, we've got to address the elephant in the room here. What exactly are we going to do with you?" Torchwick looked off to the side at Neo, who began to gesture at him, before he thought better of it.

"The options right now are not plentiful, I'll tell you that. I could toss you out on the streets, but besides that being a terrible waste of the investment I've already made, assuming you thrived out there I don't need the possibility of a younger Me with a lethal grudge against yours truly. And even I'm not cruel enough to leave you in the system. Say what you will about Vale's physical protections, but well-developed orphans the Council does not make. So that means we've got to leave you with a family of some sort, but there aren't exactly a lot of those lying around my part of the world…"

An idea, a bad-intentioned, crackpot crazy idea was forming in my head. At this point though, I'd take what I could get.

"…What if I stayed with you?" I asked, interrupting Torchwick's train of thought. Clearly, it must've been the severe kind, because Torchwick froze, then looked at me. Then he looked over at Neo, who was giving him the smuggest of smirks, then back to me.

"There's no chance that you know sign language, have a telepathy semblance, or can understand Neo in any way, shape or form right?" Torchwick asked for what I thought was needless clarification as I shook my head in response. "I guess this' what happens when two planes intersect, and by that I mean crash, because both of you arrived at the same horrible idea with completely different harebrained assumptions."

I looked over at Neo, who smiled at me, surprising me in that she was considering having Roman take me in. Then, imperceptibly, her smile somehow turned feral without any change of facial expression, and I remembered exactly what kinds of characteristics Neo had exhibited in canon thus far.

'Oh boy, did I just voluntarily suggest to be Neo's punching bag for any of her potential sadistic tendencies?' I was internally and externally sweating at the idea.

"I see that you've arrived at the reason why Neo might like having you here." Roman dryly replied. "Now I just need to figure out why in the name of dust you think staying with me and mine is at any stage a decent idea. Look, I'll be straight and up front with you; I am absolute crap with children, and have zero experience taking care of them at any age. Not to mention, I'm kind of also a _renowned criminal wanted by all four kingdoms_. The number of people I have in my life that I genuinely have trust in, let alone count as friends, I can count on one hand, cut fingers off and still have fingers left over. So, in the name of lien, why?"

'Because a kingdom-wide catastrophe caused in part by you two is coming up fast, and I need to stick close and pick up whatever I can on how it's going down to have any chance of surviving it?' I thought. Such an answer likely wouldn't fly with these two though.

"Because you're not a bad person, even if you and everyone else says you are." I tried to tackle what I thought would be the easier-to-explain, if more opinionated question. "You could've left me die to that Beowolf out there in the forest, but you didn't. You could've left me to fend for myself after saving me from those Beowolves, but you didn't. You could've tossed me out after you patched me up, and without unlocking my Aura, but you haven't. You might be greedy, but I don't think you're necessarily selfish, given how much you care for Neo's opinion."

My words had Roman speechless, as he ran a hand through his hair in thought. As for Neo, she was smiling at me without a hint of a smirk thrown in, and the wattage of it almost threw me off from my next point.

"A-And I may not remember everything about my past, but I'm pretty sure I'm good at handling myself around an apartment, like making food and laundry and stuff. So even if you're busy sometimes, I can look after myself." I added confidently. 'This being one of the perks for being in a younger body and making do with a _snug_ apartment in Manhattan.'

"And what say you about education, huh?" Roman quipped back. "Forging some credentials to get you into public schooling is easy, but what about everything that comes after?"

"I think I'm plenty smart enough without having to spend time wasting away in school." I remarked hotly. 'I went to college! And graduated!'

"That's what they all say." Roman muttered. "Alright then, riddle me this genius; Who was the last king of Vale?"

"Uhhhh..." I droned, knowing that was pretty much my best answer. 'Right, forgot that things are different here. Different history, cultures, media, languages. Ok, so the man might have a point.'

"Look, I'm not trying to dump on your parade here. Believe me, I'd love to have allies as loyal and as smart as you're shaping up to be. But I'd be shocked if you've hit puberty, and this kind of life is not something that most people who have the chance to avoid it step into. And it's not the kind of life you can easily get out of once you have." Roman dug around in his pocket and pulled out another cigar. As he lit the end, he added, "All I'm saying is, make sure you know what you're stepping into, rule number one of pretty much anything. If coming into the fold is what you really decide on, woe to me for stopping you when the time comes. Until then, rest up, live life a little like the kid you should be. Oh, and before I forget, what's left of your clothes are over in that corner on one of the chairs by the table."

Neo walked over to my couch, then reached out and patted my head, still wearing that blindingly bright smile. Then, she spun around and bounded towards Roman as they both began to stroll out of the room.

Something was niggling at the back of my head though, something that needed to be addressed for the good of my continued survival, I just needed-OH!

'Asking this could put me in some hot water with them both, but I need to figure out now if Roman's met Cinder and Ruby yet, since today was initiation apparently.' I steeled myself for the upcoming quip.

"Hey Roman, say hi to Red for me."

Roman paused by the door, and my smile and blood froze for a hot second. He slowly turned, and both our expressions mirrored one another briefly, as my mine became confused at what _he_ was confused about.

"Who or what is Red?" Roman asked, scratching his head. "Is that a friend's name, or did you happen to give the dissolved smear that was your previous mortal enemy a pet name?"

'This isn't right. Roman and Ruby should have already met each other before initiation, he's literally the reason she got to Beacon early. Did I have something to do with this? No, they were both coming back to Vale anyways, and I doubt I could've taken enough time away from Roman last night to possibly interrupt any deal he had going with Cinder.'

There was another explanation that was starting to trickle in, one that just _had_ to be impossible, Still though, I was currently a shrunken version of myself and living on REMNANT with Roman Torchwick.

"Hey Roman, just one more question?" I asked, then took Roman's waving hand as a cue to continue. "Do you happen to know where the Vytal Festival is this year?"

There was head scratching from Neo now too, as both gave me funny looks.

"What's wrong?" I asked nervously. 'What did I say? How could I have possibly goofed already?'

"_Next year's_ Vytal Festival is in Vacuo. It's gonna be the…is it the 38th, Neo? That's what I thought. Geez, I can remember when the Vytal Festival was still in the 20's, and now it'll be hitting the 40th soon. Oh, how the time flies…well, if there's no other questions, then I've got some casing to be doing, so I'll be seeing you later, Kouzai." Roman and Neo walked out the door, slowly closing it and leaving me in a completely silent and near-catatonic state.

…

'…Don't…freak out…stay calm…keep your jaw up…'

'Oh dear god, this…this changes everything. If the 38th Festival is _next year_, then that means the 40th, or the canon year that the show starts…_is FIVE YEARS FROM NOW_…"

Puzzle pieces started falling into place, mostly by falling directly on top of my head.

'I'm-Was twenty two, five years older than when I started watching RWBY at seventeen. This body of mine is undoubtedly before puberty hit, so I would probably be…TWELVE?! Oohhhh noooo, this is some real Coeur shit right here; I regressed one year for every one since 17 that I made past canon. Five years forward means five extra years back, putting me at twelve…the same age as almost everyone from the main cast…'

I looked up towards the ceiling and slowly breathed out, in a desperate attempt to reestablish some modicum of calm.

'Ok, this means I've got a total of about six years until the Fall of Beacon where everything starts going to shit. More importantly though, that means I've got six years to figure out a way to get home. I feel terrible for this universe, especially since it's clearly real, but I've got a life waiting for me on Earth. I just need to figure this out…'

I couldn't move my fingers like I wanted, so I settled for drawing imaginary words and lines in the air with my mind, an old thinking habit of mine.

'Ok, there are four general possible ways I ended up here. Let's sound 'em off.'

'First is that some_thing_ from Remnant pulled me here, like the Relics or some experimental form of Dust or semblance. To get back, I'd need to utilize those same methods and figure out how to reverse the effects. Putting aside the difficulty of the latter two as finding a grain of sugar in a shaker full of salt, the Relics are zealously guarded by Ozpin and the Inner Circle. The only way I'd ever be able to access the Relics and find out which ones have the power to get me home, is if I was either invited to use them or if I stole them. One involves the promise of fulfilment presumably after a lifetime of service in Ozpin's war, and the other promises certain death from Ozpin and crew, if not Cinder if I ever actually manage to steal them. The other two are equally if not more impossible, since it'd take years and years of research to find the particular dust or semblance responsible for this, and years more to reverse the process. That's time, and likely intelligence that I do not possess.'

'Second is that some_one_ from Remnant pulled me here. The only possible people who could so severely break the universe like that are Salem and the Brother Gods. Asking Salem for anything would either lead me to a swift death, or pull me to _her_ side to be used against Ozpin, both of which are unacceptable. Considering the Brother Gods would be an exercise in futility, as the only official way to bring them back is to get the Relics, already established as impossible. The only other explanation for is that one or both of them are present on Remnant, which also doesn't work given that they would've already heard me by now and hopefully whisked me out of Remnant, so all options here are inapplicable.'

'Third possibility is that something from Earth put me here, but again, figuring out science for Remnant would take a level of time and intelligence for learning that I don't have the luxury of. Not to mention I would be playing the most rigged lottery game every, waiting for the conditions on Earth to match how I ended up on Remnant in the beginning.'

'Last and certainly least is that someone from Earth placed me here, and it's by far the most impossible. If someone, be they mortal or deity, had the ability to rip a person out of one universe and put them in another, the fact that I'm here right now means that whoever did so meant for me to be here and isn't going to be bringing me back. Assuming in the most unlikely of scenarios that this was done by accident, whoever did so would've already brought me back. Barely worth mentioning is if there might be two or more individuals out in my universe capable of this, but the idea that they haven't already fixed this cosmic failure seems indicative of their acceptance.'

'Overall, I'm stuck here for the _very_ foreseeable future, and at the very least until the overarching plot of RWBY comes to pass, including the part where Salem gets beaten that I'll likely never get to watch. Live through, maybe. That being said, so long as I don't get myself put on the game board as a piece for either Ozpin or Salem, there's nothing stopping me from setting the cast up in a better position than in canon. Me being in this universe has already started the butterfly effect to change things, so making a few more small ones won't hurt. If I plan this out right, leading the cast to get stronger or smarter, or maybe throwing an anonymous wrench into Salem's plans, should raise my overall chance of making it through this whole mess and getting back home. To do that, I need to get my complete bearings of what I'm dealing with here, time period and people and all.'

Coming out of my inner monologue, I blinked for the first time in probably minutes, then sat up gingerly, trying to make sure not to aggravate my recovering ribs. From how it felt like my Aura was going to town on healing them though, I estimated that it wouldn't be a problem for long. Slowly, carefully making my way over to the chair with my clothes, I shifted through them until I found my jeans. True to form, they were rolled up, grass-and-blood-stained in multiple spots, and frayed in places from the friction burns. Digging into the pockets, I pulled out my phone, still powered off from when I did so last night to conserve battery life.

"Well damn, looks like this is the last intact piece of my life from before all this. Maybe I could boot it up for a little-No, no, let's not do this to yourself. We just got finished with a monologue trying to solve all of this. You will be on Remnant for years, and this thing has very limited juice left with no charger. As much as I'd love to, I need to save what battery life is left for any direly important circumstances.

I laid back and attempted to steady my breathing as the boulder that was the gravity of the situation weighed on me.

'Five years, huh? It's a long time, and yet not…fine then. Here we go.'

**TIME REMAINING UNTIL START OF CANON: 5 YEARS**

**A/N: Woah, quite a bit longer than the first chapter, huh? It really makes a difference when you actually have time to think or have more than one person in a conversation. I plan on making my chapters around this long, don't wanna go too far over though otherwise it'll feel a little packed. As for the structural bits, I'm fleshing out a bit more of the narrative style that I hope to carry on in subsequent chapters, especially that narrow-viewed, unreliable narrator nuance that I feel adds depth and complexity to a story such as this. **

**Onto the more technical stuff then. Hopefully I've portrayed Roman and Neo in at least a slightly realistic manner compared to canon, but if you feel that I'm not feel free to inform me about it. As for any original information, I'll try and keep it light on any additional OCs and only add information when I think it'll sync up with existing information about Remnant and canon. In terms of Aura and its drawbacks, I've taken some inspiration from writers such as Coeur and Imyoshi on some of its broad concepts, like what "manifestation of one's soul" really means and why the kingdoms don't have scores of individuals with unlocked Auras. Moving on from that though, the countdown arc begins next chapter, and I've got plenty of ideas for this storyline, so keep your eyes peeled for any announcements or updates. I may have a preference on which poll choice I'm partial to, but I'd really enjoy writing each of the selections available. Thank you again, and I'll be back shortly with updates.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 09/16/19**


	4. Chapter 2C: Reality 3

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Hello again, SE here. As promised, immediately following the first chapter are the potential storylines this first arc and story can take. Feel free to read just one, two or all three, and there's no specific order to be had. Again, if you decide upon a preference for which choice you'd prefer all are welcome to cast their vote in the poll on my profile, which will be up for two weeks. All reviews will also be taken into account and as always any favorites or follows are greatly appreciated. See you all at the A/N at the bottom!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, all rights are owned by Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum, R.I.P.**

**Chapter 2C: Reality 3**

**Chapter Date: 08/26/19**

Agony.

Before I was even conscious, the pain garnered from broken ribs and arm fractures pervaded my rest, until my consciousness restored itself quite suddenly.

"UUUuuuuggghhh." Even the act of opening my eyes felt painful, like my body was one giant bruise at the moment. 'Given exactly what I faced last night, I'm lucky I'm still in one piece in the first place. Wait a second, where am I? And what on earth is that aroma, and where is it coming from?'

Craning my neck, I looked around to find myself under a set of off-white sheets upon a very worn-down bed. Above and to the sides of me were a ceiling and walls of wood, put together to look very rustic. Off to the side of the bed on the right was a battered night table. And upon its surface, next to what looked like the tattered remainder of my clothes and wafting over to the bed, were a stack of doughy, flat circles drizzled in some kind of sweetener on a plate.

'…Why the hell are there a plate of pancakes next to the bed? You know what, I'm not gonna question it yet, I'm starving.' I reached out with my right arm, noticing for the first time that it was heavily bandaged and set in some form of rudimentary splint. So long as I didn't bend the bandaged areas though movement was still possible, so I shrugged it off and reached out to the plate.

The door took that moment to nearly bang off its hinges, and a voice shrieked, "MY PANCAKE SENSES WERE TINGLING! THIEF, PREPARE TO HAVE YOUR LEGS BROKEN!"

"HOLY SHIT!" I screamed back.

As an honest-to-God sledgehammer cleaved through the air towards my right shin, a sharp retort rang out from behind the would-be-reaper.

"NOOORRRAAA!"

The sledgehammer stopped inches away from the bone, and the girl, who couldn't have been more than more than four-and-a-half feet, twirled the blunt weapon away from the bed and behind her as she turned around towards the source of the second voice. "But Reeeeeeennnn, pancakes! MINE!"

The incrementally taller boy in the doorway sighed, bringing a thin hand up to his face. "No Nora, these are for him. Yours are still in the kitchen where I left them."

"You're right! How could I have forgotten? I guess my pancake senses are just telling me that all your pancakes are belong to me. I guess he can have this little bit though." The girl sighed and sagged like a great weight had fallen _on_ her, then brightened up almost instantaneously. "Buuuuuttttt he's awake now, so STORY TIME! I'll be right back!"

The girl zipped out of the room, hammer and all, as the boy turned to gaze at me, an action that I wasn't really registering at the moment due to my thoughts having run into the Great Wall of Huh?

'Wait…Nora…Ren…'

Pancakes.

'…Nora…Ren…'

Hammer.

'…NORA?…REN?…'

The girl burst back into the room, hammer slung over her shoulder in one hand, a dramatically larger stack of pancakes balanced on a plate in the other.

"PANCAKES!" I shouted, my train of thought having crashed.

…

"SEE! Even he gets it!" shouted the girl over to the boy, gesturing with both arms still holding the aforementioned objects. The boy did nothing but add his other hand to join the first on his face.

Something was severely wrong with this picture, and it wasn't me being in it.

The boy, probably of similar if not equal height to my body at the moment, slowly withdrew his hands from his face to display magenta eyes highlighted by a matching streak of hair the same color by his left eye, with most of his remaining hair tied back in some form of ponytail. The sleeves of his green tailcoat came to rest at his sides against the black-and-gold patterning, with black shoes and cream-colored pants rustling with the barest hints of shuffling around. Placed by his right hip dangled a string of what looked like throwing knives. This _must have_ been Ren.

Similarly, the girl next to him could not have been anyone but Nora. Crackling turquoise eyes and bouncing orange hair were windows to a soul of chaos. Slightly below, the pink heart on her white shirt popped against the black jacket worn over it, while matching with the pink skirt and pink and white shoes. Closing out the outfit were the fingerless gloves on her hands, along with the sledgehammer now propped up against the wall while she devoured her stack of pancakes.

It certainly looked like them. There was only one issue; they were TOO DAMN SMALL!

'I get that Nora wasn't a exactly a tall girl in the show, but I'm barely pushing five feet and I'm positive I'm noticeably taller than her. Even Ren is about equal with me, and he supposedly edges out Yang in height!'

What kind of fuckduggery was going on here?

"-worried that he hasn't responded for a while?" I caught the tail end of the girl, no, _Nora's_ question and realized I hadn't said a word thus far beyond _pancakes_.

"I'm alright, I was just lost in thought." I tried to reassure them both that I was fine, save for the laundry list of physical injuries and possible chance of head trauma…ok, I could see why they'd be worried.

"Oooh, whenever I get lost in thought, I just tell Rennie whatever I'm thinking and he usually clears it all up for me! He's a wizard at this kinda stuff." _Nora_ explained, and yes the emphasis was still required, and would be until I figured out what the hell was going on.

"I don't know if this is the kind of thing that talking with someone will help with." I tried hedging my bets.

"Blasphemy! Talking with someone is the best way to solve your problems, unless the problem is to break some legs. Besides, I've spoken with Ren on tons of crazy stuff at this point, so there's no way whatever you're thinking can top that." _Nora _confidently spouted.

'I really, really wouldn't take that bet.' I tried pleading with them silently, before turning to _Ren_, who at this point still hadn't spoken more than a handful of phrases.

"You must either be infinitely patient or a very wise child if she's calling you a wizard." I joked, while also being completely serious. 'The boy is, or will be, an avatar of tranquility. Include the fact that he was voiced by the god of gods that created this universe, and that he had been with _Nora_ for years now, and it wasn't hard to begrudge him that much.

"How old are you exactly?" I questioned, trying to fish for whatever information I could find.

"My experience with Nora is what has given me the practiced skill of acknowledging that things are fine even while everything is on fire." _Ren_ replied nonchalantly. "Also, Nora and I are currently twelve years old, and we have been with each other for four of those years."

My brain apparently decided it wanted to take an unscheduled vacation again, because the best I was able to reply was with a hollow "Oh…"

'…Oh dear God…twelve…but that means…'

They must've taken my silence as indication that my questions were answered, as Ren continued speaking. "As I'm sure you are wondering where you are currently, I would like to assuage your concerns prematurely. You are recovering in the orphanage of Yozakura, a village slightly north of Wind Path. You were brought here after Nora and I happened across your, fight, in the forest and saved you from the pack of Beowolves."

'Five years before canon…five years after I started watching…' I started poking at own face to see if I was against all odds dreaming, which Nora apparently took as code for 'medical check to see if face is as wrecked as rest of body,' before placing a small mirror in my lap. Slowly dragging it up towards my face, I was in for one hell of a shock. Short black hair just shy of a buzz cut laid on my head, matching the dark limbal ring around the russet brown irises of my eyes. A straight-and-narrow nose matched with high cheekbones to give my face an angular feel. Even lips narrowed at the reflection, and I turned to the side to confirm the appearance of a birthmark next to my left eye. Most importantly, however, was the fact that this face was devoid of the hard-fought maturation that came from the hellish era of puberty.

"Sorry that you got treated a little rough…and that your bandages were mostly done by us and Mother Fujiko…and that I almost broke your legs earlier." Having calmed done a minutia, Nora now seemed apologetic about her supposed role in the various actions leading to my being in this bed.

'I regressed in age equal to the time since I started watching the show, meaning I'm currently _twelve_ right now, just like Nora and Ren _and every other first year at Beacon_. Except for Ruby, who's even younger at _ten_.'

"I understand that you have been through a harrowing and traumatic experience, but Nora and I would like to ask a few questions related to the events of last night, if only to better understand what occurred and how to prevent it from happening again." As one could expect, Ren was a pillar of calm regardless of the absolute bombs he and Nora were unintentionally dropping on me.

"Sure, I'll help however I can." I said faintly. 'Just don't ask me anything hard questions, thought processes are moving like molasses at the moment.'

"Thank you for understanding." Ren smiled, and pulled over the chair tucked in the corner of the room as he sat down. "I suppose the most prudent thing to ask first is-"

"What's your name?" Nora zipped around behind Ren's chair and did a little hop, nearly clearing Ren's head as her arm bore down on his shoulders. Remaining upright through impressive back strength, Ren sighed and then gestured back at Nora to signify his confirmation.

'Aw crap, literally the easiest question they could've asked me right off the bat but that's still one hell of an opening volley! What the hell am I supposed to tell them, my name doesn't remotely relate to a color! Ok, I need something Mistralian since I'm on Anima, with so much Japanese leaking into the show then how about this?"

"I-I'm Kouzai." Mixing being completely clueless on whether my 'name' would fly and anxiety over the situation that _did not_ need to be faked made for a convincing wobble in my tone.

"OOhh, sounds _dark_ and _mysterious_. Have a last name to go with it? Do ya? DO YA?" Nora's seemingly teleported presence from being draped around Ren's shoulders to being right at my bedside was quite disconcerting.

'Holy crap! If being a huntress never worked out for her, she'd do great as an interrogator, I almost got a heart attack from that _without_ the threats of leg breaking!'

"…N-no, I can't remember what my last name would be here, or who or where on Remnant my family would be if I have one." Ren adopted a pensive, well, _more_ pensive, expression as Nora leaned back from the bed with a deep frown and teary eyes. 'I feel awful about this, but it's entirely true. I have no idea if I'm _me_ on Remnant or if I'm supposed to be someone else, someone that might already have an established history that I'm butchering as I think!'

"I see. I apologize further for exposing you to such recent trauma when your memories aren't even fully organized. So you wouldn't have any idea then how you came to be in the forest outside Yozakura?" My head shake was enough for him as he continued. "Then we can move on from that discussion to something perhaps more agreeable, or at the very least more informative."

'More informative for them or for me?'

"I'm sure you have noticed by this point, but your brief combat with the Beowolf in the forest has left you with various injuries, both internal and external. Chief among them are the broken bones and fractures to your arms and ribs, which are injuries that inhibit your movement and will do so until you have recovered. However, such a recovery will likely be multiple months for a civilian, during which time you will have to remain within the village, as permitting you to travel outside of the village would be akin to throwing you to whatever cruel entity you would encounter next, be they bandits, animals or Grimm." Nora then appeared back next to Ren and twirled her sledgehammer around her body.

"Don't get us wrong, you did pretty good by surviving that long, most people tend to freeze or run and get caught quickly. But a civvie without Aura, training or a weapon could never and should never fight a Beowolf, otherwise they'll end up like you or dead. If we hadn't gotten there in time and the full pack got to you…" Nora trailed off, her twirling stilling for a moment.

"Wait, there was a pack of Beowolves there?" I clearly hadn't been paying attention either last night or earlier when they were explaining. "How did the two of you manage to kill a pack of Beowolves? You're both twelve!"

"Oh, stop it, you charmer you…" Nora giggled as her cheeks pinked, hammer swinging back and forth dangerously close to the walls as Ren reached down to his hip.

"Nora and I both have our Auras unlocked, and have trained ourselves for years to fight the Grimm. As for weapons, Nora has her sledgehammer to provide the power," Ren then held up a number of throwing knives, "while I have my knives for range and versatility. With the two of us, we have been able to kill multiple Grimm at a time as training."

"Color me impressed, but it was still two of you against a pack of Beowolves! How did you kill all of them before the last one managed to kill me?" I watched the two of them exchange a nervous look. "What? Was it something I said?"

"What exactly do you remember before losing consciousness last night?" Ren did the talking while Nora fiddled her hands behind her back.

"Not a lot, everything was hazy at the end from the adrenaline and pain. There was the one Beowolf that I was fighting, and some howls that I guess must've been the rest of the pack, and right before the Beowolf tore my throat out there was an…explosion…of pink…"

My eyes widened, while Nora and Ren winced. Nora slowly brought her arm around from behind her, a round object in her hand. A lever with some sort of pin were sticking out of it.

"Is that a grenade?" If my voice were any flatter, it would've been sharp enough to cut through the awkwardness thick in the room.

"Heh-heh…if I said that they're special grenades that explode in clouds in pink, would that make it better? I did use them to kill a bunch of Beowolves after all."

'Well, that explains where the pink explosions came from, and how they managed to kill multiple Grimm. Still a question that bears asking though.'

"Nora, where did you get grenades to use against Grimm?"'

"Why Kouzai, I got them like I got most things; from Ren-Ren!" Nora grasped Ren's shoulders, both to highlight his presence as well to hide her smaller body behind the boy.

"…Ren, why did you give Nora pink grenades?" Ren, to his credit, did not change his facial expression whatsoever. His hands however, did twitch the slightest fraction from their folded position.

"…In my defense, they were for her birthday, and we were already training against Grimm. As for the pink…it was a custom order."

My eyes twitched. 'Dear God, it's already started. Within four years, Nora's already _Nora_ and Ren's all but helpless in reeling her back in from her antics.

Before I could reply to that particular explanation, Nora was back at my bedside, kneeling with both arms clasped and elbows on my bedsheets. "Please please please Kouzai, don't tell anyone about the grenades!"

"Uhh, why not?" I wasn't sure why exactly they wanted to hide them, but hiding the fact that two twelve-year-olds had concealed explosive ordinance from someone seemed like a tall order. In the meantime, Ren sighed and clenched his fingers.

"It's…complicated, unfortunately. Nora and I wish to become huntsman in the future, in order to protect others from the threat of the Grimm. To that end, we train and have acquired weapons and Aura. However, the true mark of a huntsman is in their ability to combat Grimm, and to protect the lands of the kingdoms and the outside from potential harms. To that end, Nora and I have trained against Grimm outside of Yozakura in order to hone our skills. Despite our aspirations, however, Ms. Fujiko, the matron of the orphanage, is adamant against her wards risking their lives in such regular fashion. Her disapproval and vigilance has led us to doing the majority of our Grimm combat during the evening and night, a time where people are few and the Grimm are more. As such, though our skills increased correspondingly, so did the need for greater protection during our 'hunts.' For that reason, I acquired a set of custom grenades for Nora, both as a gift to her and as a method of defense for the both of us. Ms. Fujiko may not see such explanations as sufficient for owning _grenades_, however, forcing us, and now you, to keep such information secret."

Ren finished his explanation, and looked over at me, attempting to discern my opinion on the matter through my expression and posture.

"Hah…ok, I can understand your motivations, and I'm sure that you two would like to stay in the village, at least for the time being. I'm also not sure if spitting on my saviors and two of the only people in the village with Aura is an idea conducive to my health, so sure, I'll keep quiet about the grenades." I barely managed to wheeze out the rest of the sentence following 'sure," as Nora had sprung up from her kneeling position and was hugging me.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Ren similarly broke out into a smile, as his hands unclenched themselves.

"Yes, truly, thank you for your kindness. And as for our immediate future plans, I'm sure we can discuss those as part of them…may involve…you…" Ren trailed off as he observed Nora continuing to hug me, oblivious to my recovering ribs as I weakly lifted my fractured arms to tap sporadically at hers through a thought process becoming increasingly difficult to progress thanks to lack of air.

"…GAAAAHHH!" Air had never tasted so good as Ren gently pried Nora's arms off me. "…Ok…so, plans. What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I had planned to offer you the opportunity in the first place, but as thanks for keeping Nora's, armaments, secret I would like to unlock your Aura. It would give you the ability to heal from your injuries faster, and would serve to protect you should you be accosted by any further enemies." Ren likely would've continued talking, if Nora hadn't placed her hand over his mouth.

"Enough of the boring stuff! If you train, it makes you super strong and super fast and gives you other superpowers once you find your semblance! The only downside is that we think it makes you easier to be found by Grimm since it's like being coated in your soul and emotions and stuff." Nora's hand was removed from Ren's mouth as he rubbed the faint handmark shape over his mouth.

"While Nora is not fully correct on the drawbacks of Aura, becoming more noticeable to Grimm is likely the most prominent of them. There is also the matter that individuals with unlocked Auras are required to register in the Remnant Database of Auras, but that mostly pertains to citizens within the kingdoms' purview. Those that live outside the kingdoms' borders tend to view such regulations as guidelines, to be followed should life within the kingdoms' walls be desired. Common is the situation in Anima where registering in the Database without a detailed origin of your unlocked Aura can be explained with living life on the frontier." Ren's eyes narrowed for the briefest moment when talking about the rules of the kingdoms, and I realized that he and Nora might have some underlying issues with the way Mistral ran things.

Meanwhile, I was back in my element of 'stress over two weighty and potentially lethal options'. 'Ok, life on the frontier tends to be touch-and-go for some villages if I remember. Add to that, the show never touched on where the hell Nora and Ren went to after Kuroyuri, so there's no guarantees this village will still be standing once canon gets rolling. I could move to Mistral and live there without Aura, but the possibility that Salem makes her way back around to Mistral after the failed attack on Haven is too high to go without Aura. Even if I don't get involved in their game, living on the frontier or anywhere after the Fall of Beacon will be suicide without Aura and some level of training. Alrighty then.'

"I would appreciate it if you unlocked my Aura. Though the question does occur to me, how will I know how to use it?" Nora then popped off to the side of Ren and presented him with both arms like some sort of exotic art.

"Rennie here is a whiz at Aura control, he can do all sorts of neat things with it. I can do some things too, but he's better at it!" Ren looked modest about it, but I remembered from the show that he was able to hold back a King Taijitu and its fangs by way of an aura shield on his _palms_.

"I am decent at controlling the flow of my Aura, and am willing to teach you what I know in order to aid in your recovery. As for what comes after, we can discuss that after I unlock your Aura." Ren made his way over to my bedside and reached out with his hand. "Are you ready?"

As I nodded, he placed his hand upon my chest and began to concentrate. I closed my eyes, knowing what was about to come as he began to chant.

"For it is in reflection that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of serenity and tranquility to rise above all others. Infinite in emotion and unbound by suffering, I release your soul, and by my power, protect thee."

There was a pulse as something powerful spread from within me. I opened my eyes and saw the slowly fading glow around Ren's body correspond to the silver glow coursing around mine. As the glow passed over the injured parts of my body, they began tingling as my skin felt tight and there were slight itches coming from my _bones_.

"With your Aura recently unlocked, it should be focusing on healing your wounds." Ren gestured towards my slightly squirming posture as explanation enough. Straightening up, he walked back around to the chair with Nora appearing unfazed by what had just occurred.

"Ok, the chance of having Aura reserves as deep as Jaune's was slim, but to have a twelve year old unlock my Aura without even breathing hard seems slightly offending if I'm reading this right."

"Now that your recovery has been discussed, I'm sure that Nora and Ms. Fujiko would like to know what your immediate and long-term plans are for the future." Nora's slight bouncing on the balls of her feet and the slight sparkling of Ren's eyes clued me in on exactly how interested the pair were in my potential answers.

"Well, I think that I need to stay within Yozakura for the time being, both to allow my injuries to heal and to be present in case any information on my family can quickly reach me. I guess if Ms. Fujiko would have me for a short period of time I would be grateful." I tried to answer the easiest of the three questions on my plans, mostly because my plans on the future were a conundrum wrapped in an enigma.'

'Getting pulled into Ozpin and Salem's shadow war is an almost guaranteed path to an early death. But doing nothing will result in canon progressing as seen, and letting the Fall of Beacon happen will start the process of royally screwing the world. In either case, joining either side or managing to stay out of their gambits is gonna require some serious skills for either scenario. So then the obvious choice is…'

"As for any plans, I would like to train with the two of you in order to learn more about Aura and to fight Grimm." I might've said more if Nora hadn't blurred over to my bedside with one hand outstretched in the air.

"OHMYGOSH Rennie, we finally, _finally_ have someone else to train and talk with. Not that you aren't great and really fun to have around, because you're _super_ fun, but having another person to come up with awesome ideas and help during our Grimm hunts is amazing!" After indulging her high-five, Nora did a little jig of a dance while Ren cracked what I'm sure was a rare smile.

"Well, I can say with certainty that Nora and I are glad to have an additional person learning and training with and from us, especially one that is of similar age to us. I must ask, however; do you have any intention of becoming a Huntsman with the skills you seek? If no, what are your plans regarding your education?"

'Damnit Ren, that's quite a hole you've dug me into.' I managed to keep an exasperated groan from escaping my lips at the admittedly well-deserved psychoanalysis I was receiving. 'If I say yes to becoming a Huntsman, it's going to be Beacon Central for me in a heartbeat. But if I say no, it'll be hard to justify training up to the level that Nora and Ren will be at. Plus, I have no idea how the education system on Remnant is run, but if Huntsman Academies are substitutes for college, then I need to explain why I won't be partaking in advanced education, or why I probably have tons of knowledge in common universal categories but am completely clueless in other more common categories.'

"I am considering becoming a huntsman once I am older, yes." 'There's plenty of ways I stay out of the group throwing themselves into the fire. If I head to Haven, or just stay out of the limelight in Beacon I should be out of Ozpin's eye. I just have to avoid making a name for myself.'

Nora jumped up, and grabbing Ren and I in her arms squeezed us into a hug. "This is GREAT! We're going to be like the Three Huntsmen from those old stories!"

Ren seemed resigned to being trapped in the embrace, his aura flaring to mitigate the crushing force. "Nora, I believe there were four huntsmen in that story."

I had no such protections though, and my face was returning to that familiar shade of blue. "Air…."

After Ren once again pried us out of Nora's grasp, he said, "Well, all of this is dependent upon your recovery, so we can put off such discussion for now and let you focus on that. It would most likely be good for you to…"

Hearing him trail off, I looked toward the side of my bed where the stack of pancakes was. _Was_, as in, they were all gone somehow. Two sets of eyes, pink and brown, trailed over to a nervous set of teal.

"…When?" sighed Ren.

"How?" I wanted to ask the more important question.

"Weeeeellll, you were taking too long talking, so the pancakes would've gotten _cold_." Nora shuddered. "I was just doing you a favor, now Ren will make you fresh ones!"

I deadpanned at her for a good ten seconds, before looking over at a now perpetually sighing Ren. 'Seriously, his lung capacity must be godly.'

"Very well then. I will make a fresh batch of pancakes that _only Kouzai_ will eat, _in peace_. Kouzai, you can remain here and rest while I return to the kitchen and Nora will accompany me _and watch me make pancakes without eating any_." Ren slowly walked out of the room, followed by a dramatically tearful Nora with cries of "Noooo…"

As the door closed, I waited a moment before releasing an explosive breath and sagging back down onto the mattress.

'Ok, this means I've got a total of about six years until the Fall of Beacon where everything starts going to shit. More importantly though, that means I've got six years to figure out a way to get home. I feel terrible for this universe, especially since it's clearly real, but I've got a life waiting for me on Earth. I just need to figure this out…' I couldn't move my fingers like I wanted, so I settled for drawing imaginary words and lines in the air with my mind, an old thinking habit of mine.

'Ok, there are four general possible ways I ended up here. Let's sound 'em off.'

'First is that some_thing_ from Remnant pulled me here, like the Relics or some experimental form of Dust or semblance. To get back, I'd need to utilize those same methods and figure out how to reverse the effects. Putting aside the difficulty of the latter two as finding a grain of sugar in a shaker full of salt, the Relics are zealously guarded by Ozpin and the Inner Circle. The only way I'd ever be able to access the Relics and find out which ones have the power to get me home, was if I was either invited to use them or if I stole them. One involves the promise of fulfilment presumably after a lifetime of service in Ozpin's war, and the other promises certain death from Ozpin and crew, if not Cinder if I ever actually manage to steal them. The other two are equally if not more impossible, since it'd take years and years of research to find the particular dust or semblance responsible for this, and years more to reverse the process. That's time, and likely intelligence that I do not possess.'

'Second is that some_one_ from Remnant pulled me here. The only possible people who could so severely break the universe like that are Salem and the Brother Gods. Asking Salem for anything would either lead me to a swift death, or get me pulled into _her_ side to be used against Ozpin, both of which are unacceptable. Considering the Brother Gods is an exercise in futility, as the only official way to bring them back is to get the Relics, already established as impossible. The only other explanation is that one or both of them are present on Remnant, which also doesn't work given that they would've already heard me by now and hopefully whisked me out of Remnant, so all options here are inapplicable.'

'Third possibility is that something from Earth put me here, but again, figuring out science for Remnant would take a level of time and intelligence for learning that I don't have the luxury of. Not to mention I would be playing the most rigged lottery game ever, waiting for the conditions on Earth to match how I ended up on Remnant in the first place.'

'Last and certainly least is that someone from Earth placed me here, and it's by far the most impossible. If someone, be they mortal or deity, had the ability to rip a person out of one universe and put them in another, the fact that I'm here now means that whoever did so meant for me to be here and isn't going to be bringing me back. Assuming in the most unlikely of scenarios that this was done by accident, whoever did so would've already brought me back. Barely worth mentioning is that there might be two or more individuals out in my universe capable of this, but the idea that they haven't already fixed this cosmic failure seems indicative of their acceptance.'

'Overall, I'm stuck here for the _very_ foreseeable future, and at the very least until the overarching plot of RWBY comes to pass, including the part where Salem gets beaten that I'll likely never get to watch. Live through, maybe. That being said, so long as I don't get myself put on the game board as a piece for either Ozpin or Salem, there's nothing stopping me from setting the cast up in a better position than in canon. My existence in this universe has already started the butterfly effect to change things, so making a few more small ones won't hurt. If I plan this out right, leading the cast to get stronger or smarter, or maybe throw an anonymous wrench into Salem's plans, should raise my overall chance of getting through this whole mess and making it back home. To do that, I need to get my complete bearings of what I'm dealing with here, time period and people and all.'

I blinked for the first time in probably minutes and began to reach for my clothes as the door opened again and Ren walked backed into the room carrying a steaming stack of pancakes, followed by a still tearful Nora who might or might not have been crying out the same 'No' as before. 'Does having Aura substitute the need to breathe or something?'

As he set the plate down, I began to dig in, taking in the ambiance of Nora and Ren's conversation as the enormity of the circumstances sunk in. Still weighing in the back of my mind was all I was about to leave behind, but that life could be glanced upon if circumstances were dire and I needed to see my phone.

'Five years, huh? It's a long time, and yet not…here we go though.'

**TIME REMAINING UNTIL START OF CANON: 5 YEARS**

**A/N: Woah, quite a bit longer than the first chapter, huh? It really makes a difference when you actually have time to think or have more than one person in a conversation. I plan on making my chapters around this long, don't wanna go too far over though otherwise it'll feel a little packed. As for the structural bits, I'm fleshing out a bit more of the narrative style that I hope to carry on in subsequent chapters, especially that narrow-viewed, unreliable narrator nuance that I feel adds depth and complexity to a story such as this. **

**Onto the more technical stuff then. Hopefully I've portrayed Nora and Ren in at least a slightly realistic manner compared to canon, but if you feel that I'm not feel free to inform me about it. As for any original information, I'll try and keep it light on any additional OCs and only add information when I think it'll sync up with existing information about Remnant and canon. In terms of Aura and its drawbacks, I've taken some inspiration from writers such as Coeur and Imyoshi on some of its broad concepts, like what "manifestation of one's soul" really means and why the kingdoms don't have scores of individuals with unlocked Auras. Moving on from that though, the countdown arc begins next chapter, and I've got plenty of ideas for this storyline, so keep your eyes peeled for any announcements or updates. I may have a preference on which poll choice I'm partial to, but I'd really enjoy writing each of the selections available. Thank you again, and I'll be back shortly with updates.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 09/16/19**


	5. Update Announcement

**Hey everyone, SE here. Happy Labor Day! I've had one hell of a first week in graduate school, but thankfully I've got a handle on things, at least for now. I've got some interesting updates for the readership at large, so I'll start off with some review responses to those who've left a review thus far. Then I'll jump into the meat of the updates.**

**Gobert600: Thanks for the enthusiasm and the vote for Ozpin and Glynda. Those two definitely took some work in accurately getting their speech patterns and behaviors down, but I'm glad that you enjoyed that version.**

**thepowerfullkira: This is indeed a male SI, but as a disclaimer any topics of romance between characters will likely be on the backburner for a while, both from a preference perspective and the fact that most of the main cast are currently twelve. I will be adding male to the story description in case of any confusion though.**

**Guest: Haha, I also have a soft spot for Neo, so characterizing her without any words was a real treat to write. And any personal teaching by Goodwitch would likely be backbreaking. Informative and helpful, but likely backbreaking.**

**Gizmo Gear: I wholeheartedly agree that getting that much information would be enough to send most people spiraling, myself included. I also agree with your analysis on the different paths, but I think that's just another aspect of exploring different avenues of survival. Some might be harder to make it in the short term but provide better benefits in the long term, and vice versa. We'll just have to see how the story progresses.**

**Thanks for hanging in there. Now, next up on the list is an announcement that I am happy to make; due to reader responses and feedback surpassing expectations for the first week, I am quite satisfied with the poll results and will be closing the poll a week early. Voting results for the poll should be listed on my profile if anyone is curious. It was close for a while, but between the poll results, reviews and messages the winner and choice moving forward will be with Nora and Ren! I look forward to doing that storyline justice, but I don't think that's the last the readers will see of the other choices.**

**To answer the inevitable question, since the poll is closing a week early, yes, I will be writing and releasing the next chapter a week early as well. So expect Chapter 3 to be uploaded on September 9****th**** instead of the 16****th****. I also think I'll be cementing this fic's status as a weekly Monday update fic, so look forward to that. **

**Last but not least, I wanted to thank all those who have read my writing so far, and especially those who have favorited, followed or reviewed these beginning chapters. The response and reception has been uplifting thus far and I'm looking forward to moving the story onto the Countdown Arc, as I'm calling it for now.**

**If anyone has any comments or ideas bursting to be heard, feel free to a send a message or review. I'm generally available most afternoons until further notice. Other than that, it's time to get planning and writing, so see you all next week!**

**-SE**


	6. Chapter 3: Journey of A Thousand Miles

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Hello again! I hope everyone had a good week, especially any readers who experienced Hurricane Dorian. My town was unaffected, but I hope anyone within Dorian's path is safe and remains so in the aftermath. **

**Writing this chapter while dealing with classes was something else. Whatever your opinions may be on Coeur Al'Aran's writing, the man is a machine for busting out over 25K words weekly while working full-time. Settling into a routine and getting back into the writing groove should help though, because damnit I have ideas that I wanna write. Anyways, without further ado, the first chapter of the Countdown Arc! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, all rights are owned by Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum, R.I.P.**

**Chapter 3: Journey of A Thousand Miles**

**Chapter Date: 09/09/19**

Agony.

The sensation was an old conversation partner at this point, another cry jolting through my system as I slammed into the dirt. "Oooooohhhhhhh…"

'No wait, that's just me again.' I scrambled off the ground as Ren closed in on me, sliding as he chambered a kick. Throwing my left arm up over my side, I channeled Aura to guard. Skidding slightly from the impact, I used the momentum to spin and throw what looked like a jab with my right hand as a bastardized uppercut to his ribs. Backing up to reset the distance, I jerked forward as Ren caught my right arm and yanked. His own right hand streaked towards my face, knocking me off my feet back onto the ground. I blinked wearily as my vision swam back into focus, glimpsing a thin arm extending a hand to help me up.

"Ah, that stings...thanks Ren." The boy smiled and nodded, as we both turned to where Nora sat on a tree stump, eyes having eagerly caught every moment of our admittedly brief combat.

"That…was…AWESOME! You lasted nearly two full minutes this time!" Nora called out, somehow missing the fact that I was covered in bruises, sweat and grass stains. My expression must've looked more dejected than I expected, as Ren patted my shoulder while Nora's grin became a little sheepish.

"Don't fret over your perceived weakness. Both Nora and I have years of conditioning and experience to rely on during fights. A foundation that you will come to possess given time." Ren was always good at logicing an explanation to help people feel better.

It'd already been around six months since my time on Remnant had begun. I liked to think of myself as quite flexible to new circumstances, but life on Remnant wasn't just a singular new fact, it was a whole encyclopedia set of new information.

Life in the orphanage was actually the easier part of my transition. Conditions of a frontier orphanage on Remnant were far better than I imagined. The beds were more than passably comfortable, food was aplenty thanks to the fertile soil of Anima, and there were enough bathrooms and showers to only require some planning of schedules. Most of this was thanks to Ms. Fujiko however, as the lavender-haired matron was a force of order, on top of issues before most people involved even knew there would be issues. Such a quality meant that Ren was one of her favorite wards, and that Nora was…Nora. Thankfully, I think I managed to stay in the background as "that one foolish boy who follows those two Huntsmen hopefuls." My 'amnesia', however, put me in the crosshairs of Ms. Fujiko and a few doctors, but reading up on the condition beforehand let me fake my way through. I did follow one of their suggestions though, by keeping two journals. One listed all information from RWBY that I remembered before I could forget anything. The other contained everything about my life on Earth, in case I began forgetting _anything_ about that life. It was a terrifying, but also a realistic thought. Both journals remained stuffed inside the pockets of my black cargo pants at all times, next to my phone. It made training a little cumbersome, but the continued secrecy was infinitely worth it.

That led right into the much harder aspect of daily life. My former athlete's training regimen was only similar to that of an aspiring huntsman or huntress in the barest sense. Physical conditioning was done with similar exercises in cardio, body weight movements and weightlifting, but Aura's healing and strengthening properties made generating far greater levels of force for far longer periods of time the norm. Building denser and stronger muscles progressed exponentially quicker. Unfortunately, Aura's protective nature mainly applied to external forces, meaning that pain was unmitigated from the near-constant strain of muscles over time. Still, results were results, and my strength, speed and endurance had already caught up to those of my collegiate athlete days. It was that jump in fitness that saved me during the other part of huntsman training: sparring.

An almost-daily rotation of individual fights between Nora, Ren and I fostered experience against multiple fighting styles, something that Nora and Ren admitted to lacking when it was just the two of them. As I was invariably the weakest among the three of us, the rotation typically scheduled Ren and I, Nora and Ren, and then Nora and I to allow me the most recovery time. Not that it aided me whatsoever, as I held a perfect loss streak against both of them. I was chipping away at the gap though, little by little, clawing to last just a few seconds longer each successive time.

"Your physical conditioning's progressing really well though. Your speed's almost equal to Ren's and your strength's just slightly below his; unless you do that thing with your Aura that I've seen a couple of times." Nora's eyes sparkled, and I started to back away before acknowledging that she'd catch me in a heartbeat. "What exactly is that?"

"It's an Aura technique that I use when my guard's already up or I've already got a strike in motion. I just channel both the strengthening and healing parts of Aura and temporarily amplify whatever limbs I concentrate on. It takes a bit of focus though, and I run the risk of straining my muscles if I hold it for too long, so I usually just use it for an instant. And I think physical conditioning just comes easier to me from whatever I was doing before I lost my memories."

'I can't exactly tell them that most of my conditioning is based on nearly a decade of triathlon training, lest they think I was indoctrinated as a toddler. Actually, that sounds exactly like the kind of idea Ozpin or Ironwood might consider given proper motivation. Geez.'

"OOH OOH, that sounds uh-ma-zing!" Nora gushed. "Do you have a name for it?"

"A name? Uhhh, it's called…Burst." I mentally grasped at thin air, and came away with something that sounded catchy enough.

"A creative technique, one that has allowed you to somewhat bridge the gap in physical attributes in our spars." Ren added his two cents; though I was unsure whether or not it was because he was just somewhat miffed I was catching up to him in terms of physical specs. "What was your inspiration for the technique?"

'If I say My Hero Academia, I'm not sure they'll continue to find me sane.' Instead, I replied, "I just tried using both the strengthening and healing applications of Aura at the same time, and this just resulted."

"Looks like our resident bookworm's getting results from keeping his nose buried in books so often," Nora joked, trying to playfully elbow Ren. Try being the operative word, as Ren firmly kept his palm between her elbow and his ribs, with pink glimmers of Ren's Aura showing the force behind Nora's elbows.

"So long as Kouzai can finally generate an Aura barrier, I will acknowledge that his Aura control has progressed well during his time here." Ren wasn't one to fall behind on humorous jokes either.

"Hey, guy with huge hole in his memory here. Forgive me for wanting to fill those gaps with worthwhile information. And Aura control is hard," I shot back.

Therein laid probably the hardest part of my time on Remnant so far; learning about an entirely new world!

I spent most days outside of training and any orphanage events inside Yozakura's library, reading up on as much of Remnant as I could. 'Thank the Brothers I managed to score high on math, and Remnant's universal language that's identical to English, otherwise I'd be strong-armed by Ms. Fujiko into classes daily. She's already on my case to use my knowledge for "safer pursuits."'

History. Science and Dust. Anything to do with the Grimm. And the hardest of all? Slang. Finding out what new phrases of turn meant and where and how they originated was its own history and language lesson. It was also extremely fortunate that Remnant had a universal language to communicate with, or at least one prevalent in Vale and Anima at large.

"So what's on the dreaded reading list today?" Nora questioned, as we trekked back to the orphanage, where Ms. Fujiko would likely be waiting to passive-aggressively suggest attending classes.

"I think I'll be focusing on Dust again today," I replied. 'An energy source nearly completely different from Earth science? Yeah, that'd be difficult to learn even if I was actually good at science in the first place.'

"Ugh, bor-ring. Make sure not to burn your brain out, mister! We've still got our spar later, and the rotation has us using weapons today! Get ready to use those sticks of yours!" I nearly froze in place, my expression akin to trying to swallow a particularly large lemon.

'Nora with her sledgehammer? Ye gods, I hate the rotation.'

"Nora, they're parts of a bamboo stalk, plenty capable of being weapons. And their names are Protector and Conqueror." Protector in the left for what my Earth name meant, and Conqueror in the right for what my brother's name was-_is_. My parents were firm believers in the whole "name influences personality" argument. As for my weapons being bamboo sticks, I'd had _very_ limited escrima training with a friend in years past, so the style came to me quicker than any other thus far.

"Well, whatever they're called, I hope they're ready for Motlyn and I," Nora called over her shoulder, sledgehammer slung across her back as her eyes gained a fearsome glint. Shaking legs indicated the answer being a resounding 'No'.

… … …

"Guys, I'm not sure this is in any way, shape or form a good idea," I cautioned to Nora and Ren, hefting Protector and Conqueror in my hands. I spent a moment observing the snarling pack of seven Beowolves around us. Most were doing their best bloodhound impressions, zeroing in on my well-deserved display of nerves.

"Aww, don't worry Kouzai, you've been training forever-" "Eight months" "for this, it's time you got some payback! Besides, you only have to take one. Ren and I'll take the rest!" Nora's eyes twinkled, likely from the opportunity to use her grenades again. I gave a suffering look towards Ren.

"Just take it as a sign that Nora and I believe that you are ready to take this step." Ren then glanced at Nora, still visibly twinkling, and sweatdropped. "Just…try to finish it quickly, for all our sakes."

With that, Ren reached down to his hip and hurled a throwing knife at one Beowolf with a flourish, the blade embedding itself in its eye with a soft squelch. All parties present took that as the signal, and the rest of the pack rushed in while Nora whooped and pulled out a grenade.

"I stand corrected; I'm now sure this is a bad idea!" I shouted, twirling my weapons as I reinforced them with Aura. With a howl, the Beowolf closest to me bounded off the ground and clawed towards my torso. In a repeat of my first encounter, I jumped sideways but this time with Aura-strengthened legs aiding my balance.

"REMATCH TIME, UGLY!" I roared, using Burst on both arms and slamming my weapons down onto the Beowolf's right arm.

CRACK

This time, Aura-reinforced sticks pounded right through the Beowolf's wall of muscle, fracturing the Grimm's right arm at an inhuman angle. I jumped back as the Beowolf roared in pain, falling to all fours to test the nonexistent weight that arm could now support. Adrenaline rushed through my veins and my breath came in heady gasps, but from excitement instead of fear.

I could do this. _I can do this_. "Alright, I'm here to kick ass and read books, and I'm all out of books."

"Except for the journals in your cargo pants!" Nora called out, a wall of heat, wind and sound coming from her direction.

"NORA! I had an awesome line going there! And I wrote my journals, so I've already read them!" I shouted back, glancing sideways to see her crush a Beowolf's skull with Motlyn. 'I can never take a headshot from her so long as I live…'

Redirecting my attention back to the lethal matter at hand, I watched as 'my' Beowolf rushed forward again on three legs, swiping outward with its uninjured arm. Cursing under my breath, I exhaled and used Burst on my arms, using one of the few escrima forms I knew as the Beowolf and I started our little dance of death.

"Down, out, cross, down, out, cross, downoutcross downoutcross…" I muttered, arms repeatedly whirling through the form. Focusing on the Beowolf's arms and head, I accelerated my strikes in time with its attacks to bat them away at the outset.

Smash skull. Deflect left arm. Block right arm. Crush teeth. Fracture right arm. Parry left.

"Writing information does not prevent rereading it," Ren interjected casually somewhere behind me.

"For Brothers' sake, Ren! KINDA BUSY HERE!" I screamed, whipping the Beowolf across the face with both weapons and jumping back to glare at the boy. Ren, lacking any enemies, merely smiled and strolled along the perimeter of the clearing. 'My' Beowolf, on the other hand, despite missing multiple teeth and having its right arm reduced to a jagged mess, still focused on me with a murderous intensity. Opening its maw, its roar shook the trees before dashing towards me once again, as we met in the middle of our proverbial ring. True to habit, it swiped with its singular intact arm, one that I deflected with both Protector and Conqueror. Spinning around, I used the momentum to strike its face as it came in for a bite, further cracking its mask and knocking out more teeth. As the creature staggered and sagged, I exhaled, then quickly hissed as its ruined arm came streaking for my body, crashing into my chest as I went flying back again.

On the other hand, eight months of grueling physical conditioning, sparring and aura training let me use Burst on my legs and right my posture, legs leaving furrows in the ground as I lowered my right hand to stabilize myself until my momentum stopped.

On a _third_ hand, having Aura only negated the majority of the blunt force…meaning that all the pain I'd suffered last time was filtering through again, just with the benefit of no bone fractures this time.

On the fourth hand, I was _pissed_.

"DAMNIT," I seethed, clenching both weapons as the Beowolf gave some imitation of a lopsided grin. "Get over here so I can _STAB YOU_!"

The Grimm seemed to desire similar things of me, if its flared claws were anything to go by. Snarling, it mounted one last charge over to my position.

"Uhh, Kouzai? You're kind of holding blunted sticks," Nora pointed out. "Not very sharp or good for stabbing."

I gritted my teeth. "I. DON'T. CARE." As the monster finally closed in, a particularly lethal swipe hummed through the air. Ducking around its paw, I flipped my grip on Conqueror, used Burst on my arms, then slammed Protector down onto its neck before ramming Conqueror into its right eye socket.

CRACK! SNAP!

Both sounds rang out as the Beowolf's momentum carried it forward, body hitting the ground as its neck and head flopped around before laying still. A slow but gradual trail of black ash-like substance floated off its form as I exhaled in relief.

'It's over…I did it. I finally-'

"YOU DID IT!" Nora tackled me nearly sideways with Motlyn along her back. As I started to sag under our combined weight, a supporting hand slowly raised me back up while gently prying Nora off.

"Yeah, no thanks to you two cutting in every five seconds," I replied, still irritated by the various distractions.

Nora looked surprisingly self-conscious, while Ren was as ever unreadable. "Forgive us for drawing away your focus at such a vital time, but we contend that your performance merely proves that which Nora and I attempted to convince you of."

"Uhhh, what?" I questioned. 'What exactly did I prove?'

"He means that even while trying to distract you, you fought a Beowolf while talking to Ren and I, and didn't even take a single hit past your Aura!" I lifted my black shirt to show where the Beowolf's pulped arm had pushed past my Aura to leave a smattering of bruises. "Err, besides those. Still nearly untouched though."

I forwent responding with words, still shocked. "So…you both distracted me…so I could prove that I'm capable of fighting a Grimm singlehandedly…while unfocused?"

A nod from Ren and two thumbs up from Nora. I sighed and ran a hand through my short locks. "Ok, still annoyed, but understandable now. Any other surprises you two would like to drop on me?"

"Nope." Nora popped the 'p' just as Ruby would. "Just that you spent an extra month worrying if you'd be able to kill a single Grimm over nothing!"

"Yeah, it's reassuring to know that I won't automatically die to the next Grimm I see," I agreed. "So, what's next?"

Because that was really the question, wasn't it? 'I honestly don't know jack about what Nora and Ren's lives were like after Kuroyuri until Beacon, besides whatever I learned in the last eight months! I could've already changed their futures from canon! No no, can't think like that, canon was screwed the moment you were dropped into Remnant. All you can do now is try and guide them to Beacon. So the big question is, did they go through a combat school like Sanctum or remain in the frontier to take Beacon's practical qualification exam?'

"-zai? Kouzai!" I jolted as Nora waved her hand in my face. "There you are! I guess we should be glad you don't go drifting off while fighting!"

"Another memory for your journals?" Ren questioned as we travelled back to the orphanage.

"Something to maybe check in them," I corrected. 'I need to read up on if there were any hints to their backstories later. There has to be something!'

"Before we lose you to your thoughts once more, I wish to discuss what the next step in our training should be," Ren continued. "Having given the matter some reflection I've come to the conclusion that we require…proper weapons, befitting potential huntsmen and huntresses."

Ignoring Nora's excited gasp off to the side, I nodded mechanically. 'It's true, regardless of which path they took to get to Beacon, they had to get weapons somehow. We can focus on getting those first, then worry about the decision later. This'll difficult enough by itself.'

"Do you have any idea where we'd be able to buy huntsman-quality weapons or commission them? Especially with our stores of lien, or lack thereof?" I asked Ren. The lien left by Ren's family was respectable, but nowhere near infinite. Years of aiding the orphanage had made a dent, and acquiring proper huntsmen gear would drain even more.

"I might have a possible location; Wind Path. It's where I ordered Nora's grenades, and I'm certain the city will have adequate weapons to purchase, either legally or…less than legally." We both ignored Nora's second gasp, and subsequent imitation of a dying cat. It was Nora after all.

"Wind Path? The city known for its…less-than-stellar reputation and clientele?" Instead of sweating from life-or-death exertion, I was now sweating from potential future-life-or-death exertion. 'If _Qrow_ of all people mentions how shady Kuchinashi and Wind Path are, what exactly are we walking into here?'

"I admit that navigating Wind Path's underground market can be…treacherous, but its selection of goods and services is nearly unrivaled anywhere else on Remnant, save for Mistral…itself…" Ren trailed off as I continued walking. Slowly realizing that Nora and Ren were no longer by my sides, I flinched as I bumped into something soft. Looking up, I gazed into the chestnut-brown eyes of one fearsomely scowling Ms. Fujiko.

"So…" The word was more akin to a hiss than language. "I happened to hear some explosions and unearthly howls earlier, along with clouds of pink rising above the trees. Is there anything that my three dear wards would like to tell me?"

I tried edging back, but her hand gripped my wrist almost tight enough to drain my Aura. I desperately looked back, where Nora hid behind Ren while giving me a shy two thumbs up. Ren, on the other hand, looked me right in the eyes and put his hands together in prayer.

'You sonofagrimm…'

… … …

After many, _many_, debates, near-endless lectures from Ms. Fujiko (Nora counted six hundred and two), and assurances from us that we would return before the annual flower viewing, we were ready to set out about a month later. Despite triple-checking our bags and quintuple-checking Nora's, Ms. Fujiko still saw it fit to warn us of the potential dangers of swindlers and strangers, to which we had the safeguards of haggling, persuasion, and threats of broken legs.

Now the four of us stood outside of the orphanage. "Hah…this is really happening isn't it? Brothers know that I tried dissuading you two for years, and all three of you for the last nine months. Every child when they're young wants to be a huntsman or huntress, and protect Remnant from the scary Grimm. None in my care have a happy childhood, but despite that, the three of you have stuck fast to your goals, and at some point, I have to respect that. So…"

Turning to Ren, she hugged his lithe figure. "Keep them wise, little lotus."

Slowly letting go, she turned to Nora and swept her up in a hug as well. "Keep them guessing, you crazy little genius. Keep them all guessing."

Finally, she turned to me, and we eyed each other, less of a matron and her ward, and momentarily as equals. Surprised that she did so, she enveloped me in a soft but firm hug. "Keep them safe."

"Always," I firmly replied. 'After all, I don't know if Remnant has a future if half of JNPR isn't there at the Fall of Beacon, Haven and Argus.'

Separating, I turned to Nora, who tried to blink back excess moisture, and Ren, who looked far stiffer than his normal relaxed posture. I myself was not unaffected, and cleared my throat. "Alright, fellow fools, march!"

Turning around, the three of us began treading towards the village outskirts, making sure to keep our heads held high. And if any of us looked back, no one mentioned it.

… … …

It took the better part of two weeks, but it was bright in the day as Nora, Ren and I came into the city limits, the entrance a large gate manned by four guards. Waving us through without a fuss, we headed for the commercial district.

"Wow, that was easy." I sighed in relief, right before Nora smacked my head. "Ahh! The heck was that for?"

"You just jinxed us," grumbled Nora, as I scoffed. 'No way something that insignificant counts as a jinx.'

Hours later, I was ready to eat dirt at my words. "How can you be short on weapons? You're a weapons shop! It's _literally_ your business!"

The shopkeeper, an apologetic giant of a man, rubbed his neck. "I don't know what to tell you kid. If you'd been here a few months ago, maybe even last month, there would've been a lot more stock for you to browse. But a fair number of folks across Anima and Remnant as a whole are pretty nervous lately, and being nervous about your safety usually means arming yourself around these parts."

It made sense, but it begged the question. "What has people so nervous recently?"

The shopkeeper's face turned dark. "The White Fang."

My breath caught in my throat. 'Ohhhhh boyyyy…"

The man must've taken my shocked expression as acknowledgement. "That's the face most people are wearing nowadays. Used to be the Fang did peaceful protests and events, but that new leader of theirs has made some changes that have turned the whole organization, and Remnant, on its head."

I was too busy mentally smacking myself to pay attention. 'Crap, the White Fang! How could I have been so stupid? Blake mentioned in Volume 1 that Ghira stepped down about five years before canon, and the new leader, re Sienna, enacted more violent strategies. I'm living smack in the middle of that period right now.'

"Perhaps asking may be considered poor form, but can you recommend any alternatives for finding weapons? This is important to my village, doubly so with such troubling news," Ren explained.

"It's no trouble at all. Having a shortage means business is booming, and business for other smiths means a better reputation for Wind Path, something sorely needed. If you're looking for alternatives, I have to tell you a lot of my competitors are experiencing shortages like myself. It's mainly the businesses specializing in mass basic equipment, for defense of families and towns. If you're looking for more exotic gear, and I remember your grenade order, you'll have better luck commissioning an Academy-certified smith in the city. I'd recommend staying out the underground market, especially here in Wind Path, as sad as that is." Thanking the shopkeeper, we left the armory and languished in the streets.

"Well that's a Beringel in the plan," sighed Nora. At my questioning look, she added, "There's a monkey wrench in the plan, then the monkey itself in the plan. I upgraded it."

I couldn't help but agree. 'We have enough lien to buy three huntsmen-quality weapons in stock. Barring that, we have enough to commission one weapon, maybe scrape by for a second, but not three. Wait, is that why Nora has Magnhild in all its mecha-shift glory, while Ren uses Stormflower? No, I'm sure it's partially because of their fighting styles. Still though…'

"What do we do? Commissioning weapons for all three of us, either with a proper smith or an underground one, is impossible with what we have now," Nora remarked, turning to Ren and I.

"I am unsure. We could use more of the funds left-" Ren cut off that thought as Nora and I glared at him. There was no way we were draining what was left of his family's savings just for weapons. "Never mind. Alternatively, we could find work and build up a sufficient pool dedicated to commissioning weapons."

'Between huntsmen training, learning, and attending classes at slipper-point by Ms. Fujiko, there's nearly zero time and opportunity to build up savings towards something as pricy as a commission. But how else can we scrap together enough to make the difference?' I ruffled both hands through my hair and twirled in circles before something caught my eye. Slowing, I stared down the street through the window of some tavern. Specifically, at a display of televisions by the counter facing towards the outside, advertising a very specific event.

Grabbing one of my journals and rifling through it, my eyes blazed across the pages for that specific jot of information. Under the character profiles, I finally found it.

'Holy…could this?...This could work…'

I gripped both Ren and Nora's shoulders. "I have an idea. Make sure you have all the lien safely secured, and get ready to look intimidating."

Ren's eyes narrowed, as Nora's widened by a corresponding amount. "What exactly are you planning?"

I grinned lopsidedly, one eye crinkling in a smirk as both eyes shined. "We're going gambling."

Two sets of eyes, one teal and one pink, blinked.

… … …

After some bouncing around the city, and some heart-stopping threats involving Motlyn, we found the location that we needed. A popular restaurant and tavern named the Wanderer's Reprieve. Compared to other, more reputable stores in Wind Path, this building was scarce on the windows and what panes did exist displayed only glimpses of business inside.

"Hokay, okay. Alright guys, last chance. If we do this, we go all in. Ren, this is your family's lien, so this is all up to you. Are you willing to risk this?" I gripped his shoulders, looking as serious as a teenage boy could. He looked back at me, pink eyes unblinking and unflinching.

"Be honest. Do you truly believe this is the safest venture? I know enough about you to say that when you commit to a course of action, you commit your blood, sweat and tears. If you believe this is the best option to reach our goals, I will aid and support you." Ren gripped my arm, his knuckles white and his teeth clenched.

'He's fighting the fear with his whole being. Do I really have the stones to literally bet his family's lien on this?' My mind whirled though variables, finally settling on an answer. "Yes. Stick with me, with this, and I guarantee we'll get the lien we need."

Ren closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Meanwhile, Nora hugged his side, looking the most worried that I'd seen her during my time on Remnant. Slowly, his other hand reached around and hugged her back as he opened his eyes, steady and true.

"Ok. Let's do this."

Nodding, I took the lead and walked inside. The building's interior had circular tables spread across the spacious floor. Raucous laughter rose around the room, as families ate only slightly nervously alongside rough-looking men and women. My eyes scanned for the description we were given, and eventually found it. Weaving our way around, we closed in on one particular table, absolutely packed with some of the toughest looking gentlemen in the establishment.

One particular gentlemen sat dressed in a monochrome three-piece suit, contrasting with his mahogany-shaded skin and vibrant blonde hair that gave him a passing resemblance to Arslan Altan. If his state of dress wasn't indication of his status over the rest of the table, then it was definitely the sycophantic looks those seated kept throwing his way.

"Are you Preto Reyes?"

Talk around the table stopped, as the man turned to regard Nora, Ren and I as if he only now just registered our presence. "Are you children lost? Or perhaps looking for an autograph from any of these fine boys around me?"

Laughter rang out around the table, but I made sure to keep my face impassive and my voice even. "We're here to place a bet." Said laughter died off quickly.

A gaze of scrutiny travelled up and down my body, then Ren's, then Nora's. "You don't seem like the gambling type, or even the type to step off the straight and narrow."

I remained unblinking. "I'm told I have one of those faces. That, or I'm a really good actor." We stared at each other for a good thirty seconds.

Then he burst out laughing. "HA HA HAHAHA! Oh, the looks on your faces! You lot look like you haven't dipped a toe in morally grey waters in your lives! And the pair on _this one_ in particular!"

Regaining control of himself, he cracked his neck. "Alright then, business it is. What kind of bet are we talking here?"

'Showtime.' "Something on the up and up. The Mistral Regional Tournament."

'_4-time winner of the Mistral Regional Tournament_.' "I want to put it all down for one Pyrrha Nikos as the winner."

Eyebrows raised at the statement, including Nora and Ren's. "A complete newbie as the winner, huh? There something you know that others don't?"

'Keep it together.' I smirked crookedly. "If I do, it's so secret that not even the girl in question knows."

He nodded. "Far be it for me to turn down a fool's bet, that's my bread and butter. Even if your ages combined likely don't even equal mine. Let's have it here."

A singular hand extended, but before Ren could twitch I asked, "Before I lock it in, what guarantees are there that all payouts will be honored?"

The air around us went dead silent. "Are you questioning my credibility and honor?"

My eyes could've cut stone. "I came to the most reputable bookie, of _Wind Path_. I'd be remiss to not get the full rundown."

Another staredown, only I think he was serious this time. Oh well, it was a good life. I could ordinarily hold a stare for ten minutes, but this wasn't even in the same hemisphere as ordinary. Just as I was about to look away, he nodded again.

"A decent head on you. If it wasn't clear how lily-white your two friends are, I'd have you pegged as a routine player. Regardless, I'll leave you this. The laws of the other side value honor in business. You don't have to trust me, but trust that. Also, think of the reputation I'd lose if I scammed the savings of a few kids. There's scum, and then there's needlessly cruel. I'm neither of those."

I nodded in return, and this time Ren's bag of lien came forward to rest in his hands. "Once the tournament's over, how will any payouts reach us? I can't imagine you'd want everyone who placed a bet to show up here."

A smile with perfect teeth flashed. "You are correct. Cops in Wind Path are crooked, but they're not blind or stupid. We'll find _you_."

Nodding one last time, I reached out with my hand. Blinking for a moment, he realized what I wanted and extended his in return as we shook, eliciting a chuckle from him.

I flashed him my own smile, imperfect as it was. "Pleasure doing business."

Letting go, he sat back down at the table while Nora, Ren, and I made our way out. Once outside, it was clear in their expressions that Nora and Ren wanted to see if I was okay. Wordlessly, we walked for three solid minutes before reaching a small park clustered in the middle of the city. Strolling over to a towering tree, I let a hand rest against the bark. Taking a deep breath, I leaned back and head-butted the tree.

"HO-LY DUST!" I exhaled explosively. "That. Was. Terrifying. Brothers almighty, never again. Hah…" Arms wrapped around my waist and a hand laid upon my shoulder. Slowly, I stopped nearly hyperventilating and remembered the plan. I had very little faith in my intelligence at the moment.

I had a lot in the Invincible Girl, though.

"You did well, Kouzai." Ren was a pillar I currently needed. "You remained calm and collected, and presented no weaknesses. I also believe this particular group, if not the individuals themselves, are trustworthy when it comes to payment. Wins will be remain as wins, and losses will stand as losses."

"We'll be finnnnne," Nora breezed. "I mean, I've never seen this Pyrrha girl fight, and you bet all our lien on her being the winner, and we placed a bet with shady people, but other than that, we're set!"

I laughed shakily. "Yupyupyup, totally fine. Totally fine. All part of the plan. No surprises from here on-"

"Could you guys keep it down? Trying to sleep here."

"AAAAHHHH!" As one, all three of us jumped back as a voice came from the tree. Drawing our weapons at a safe distance, branches rustled and we looked up as a shape descended from above.

"Hey, nice weapons! You three thinking of becoming Huntsmen?" Blonde hair hung from an upside-down body, showcasing ocean-blue eyes.

'No…'

"I am too, ya know! I'm pretty good at hand to hand, but I've got a real flair with a staff." A tattered and threadbare white shirt hung openly, displaying an already impressive set of abs.

'NO…'

"I even came all the way from Vacuo to attend a Mistralian academy for the better weather and prospects! Though I'm pretty broke, so getting a weapon in time for the academy…" Both hands crossed across his bare chest, and he swung back and forth slightly from his _tail_, wrapped around the branch.

'NO!'

"Anyways, the name's Sun! Sun Wuko-!"

"DAMNIT! I SAID NO SUPRISES!"

**A/N: My God, that was a long one. A bunch of exposition for sure, but I think it sets the stage for all that comes after. As for canon information, I wrestled for a while on how to move forward with Nora and Ren. No decision is final yet, but I hope that following along with my logic thus far isn't a tough pill to swallow. As for the little jaunt up to Wind Path, I envision that Nora and Ren, being of more limited means than someone like Pyrrha, would have a correspondingly different method of obtaining their weapons. Operating under the assumption that Ren's parents believed in banking and that Grimm and bandit attacks are as common as Volume 4 makes them out to be, some sort of failsafe must exist for surviving members of families to access accumulated wealth in the event of any attacks.**

**Now, I mentioned before I had ideas for how to write this whole story, and write them I have. I give you…the Bonus!...ok fine, I'll use the Japanese term. I give you…the Omake!**

**OMAKE:**

"Are you alright, Kouzai?" Upon receiving a thumbs-up while I hunched over, Glynda continued. "I apologize for potentially going overboard in my attack. I attempted to hold back, but perhaps I was still overzealous."

"It's alright," I wheezed out. 'Potentially? That was the same technique used in the first episode to take down a _bullhead_, just watered down.'

"Nevertheless, it appears you came up with your own solution, albeit an inefficient use of Aura. You called it Barrier, I believe?" At my nod, Glynda flashed another rare smile. "Creating an omnidirectional Aura shield is an imaginative technique. I'm sure there are potential combat applications beyond self-shielding."

I sighed. 'Her intellectual side is flaring up again, isn't it? The Hell I pay for.'

"I think I could do it one more time if you'd like to test it." I managed to get that sentence out evenly, as Glynda looked concerned.

"Truly, Kouzai? You appear quite winded." I made a show of bending down to touch my toes, then straightening to stretch my arms and back.

"Never better, Ms. Goodwitch. It's like exercising a muscle, a little exertion is expected. I need real experience if I want to get better at Aura control." I kept as straight a face as I could to assuage her concerns, but as she turned away to take her former position I mentally hissed. 'I'm _so_ glad I've got the rest of the day without combat training. I'm _really_ gonna need it.'

Across the practice arena again, Glynda waved her crop, and out came over a half-dozen streams of lavender Aura, homing in on my body. I cracked my neck and let out a small whimper, as I swear I saw butterflies signaling the omen of my death.

'There is no one on Remnant who possibly-

… … …

"-HAS IT ANY HARDER THAN ME RIGHT NOW!" I screamed, trying with my very soul to dodge an endless barrage of lethal parasol thrusts. Its wielder smirked amusedly as I attempted to survive the veritable storm of strikes. Seeing an opening for a literal instant, I took the chance and slashed downward at Neo with one of the practice swords.

Luckily, I also knew from painful experience that it was a trap for her to set up a counter. 'Let's not keep the lady waiting then. Time to play a little Two for Flinching.' Neo twirled around the strike and into a high kick, while her smirk faded slightly as she saw her expression mirrored.

This time the pain of a boot to the face was blunted, as my eyes stayed open while I swung towards Neo's face. A hasty interspersing of her parasol blocked the strike as she back-flipped to bleed off the momentum, her heterochromatic eyes shouting confusion.

'Neo Politan, 21. Kouzai something-or-other, .01.' "It's a little technique I made up, just for you since you avoid lethal strikes while playing with your food. Focusing Aura on the impact site to cushion the blow and quick-heal the damage lets me ride past the pain. A counter to another counter."

Neo tapped her chin thoughtfully, then tapping her parasol against one hand as her expression became suspiciously neutral.

TSING

'Oh hell.' I paled as Neo's smirk returned in force, leveling the parasol with a blade now protruding from its tip. No words were spoken as Neo stabbed directly at my crotch, but a scream of incredibly manly proportions was heard as I leapt away.

'Scratch that. Hell is empty, and the devil is here.'

**A/N: Told ya it wouldn't be last you see of these other choices. But oh man, Kouzai is really a glutton for punishment no matter where he goes, isn't he? It's like his survival instinct is nearly…oh yeah, self-insert. Never mind. Hope you enjoyed that; there'll be more to come. Until next week then!**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 09/16/19**


	7. Chapter 4: Fall Seven Times

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Happy Monday All! Or maybe not-so-happy, but hopefully this chapter goes a little ways towards making it better. Anyways, before we begin, I wanted to address some new reviews.**

**Gobert600: This story will have pairings, and there will likely be a pairing for the MC. That said, I'll probably wait before getting to any of these, considering that the majority of the cast is currently in their young teens, if that. So for realism's sake, mentions of romance will likely begin kicking in once puberty and hormones become relevant.**

**The Crowned Reaper: A part of me is also disappointed that Roman and Neo won't be taking the spotlight, at least for this story. When I get around to writing another story, those two will definitely be at the top of my list. And I also noticed the lack of SI's involving Ren and Nora, so hopefully I do the duo and concept justice.**

**Gizmo Gear: Thanks for the support, and glad to see the enthusiasm. Always a pleasure to be reading whatever comments you've got.**

**Guest: That's definitely a viable tactic in guerilla warfare, and one that I wouldn't put past either side of extremists to have pulled in their history. Most parties however are likely considering the threat of mutually assured destruction, and probably hesitate to resort to such measures casually.**

… … …

**Chapter 4: Fall Seven Times**

**Chapter Date: 09/16/19**

"So you're from Vacuo?"

"Born and raised in the Wastes. People think that's a derogatory term, but most people living there actually refer to the region as the Wastes."

"What's it like on the other side of Remnant?"

"Well, I can't speak for the other end of Sanus, but Vacuo is pretty much always scorching, with a side of dry. Anyone and anything surviving out there gets the superlative of 'pretty tough to kill.'"

Back and forth the conversation went between Nora and Sun Wukong. The two chatterboxes would be fast friends given both their proclivities in canon. For now, Ren and I remained silent, though compared to trying to figure out how on Remnant this occurred, Ren just looked happy for a reprieve from Nora's antics.

"So Sun, what brings you to Wind Path? None of Mistral's combat schools are around here," Nora commented.

"Wind Path is the hub for most, if not all, the exotic and illicit goods supplied to Anima's smuggling route. Since weapons and materials are scarce in Vacuo, and I was planning on travelling to Mistral for combat school, I figured I'd hit two Nevermore with one stone."

"But you mentioned earlier that you were 'pretty broke,' and that buying a Huntsman-quality weapon would be beyond your current means." Ren finally spoke, for the express purpose of putting Sun in an explanatory bind.

"Did I say that? I meant that I don't have _a lot_ of Lien, but I'm not completely broke either." Sun chuckled the same way as when he'd been caught eavesdropping on Blake and Ghira in Volume 4. 'He's hiding something. But what? Better to just progress naturally and see what comes to light.'

"Well, if you're looking to get enough Lien for a weapon, we might have a suggestion, so long as you don't mind speaking with some morally grey individuals. Preto Reyes is the boss, and pretty trustworthy when it comes to taking bets and honoring payments. He's reliable, albeit not the most morally upstanding."

"Ha ha, guess I'll be in good company then," Sun laughed, his tail fidgeting with the pocket of his jeans.

"Well, it's back to the bookie who may or may not be a crime boss." Nora sounded cheerful for someone who just suggested returning to Preto. Ren and I both sighed at her statement, then motioned for a confused Sun to tag along as we walked back the way we came.

Along the way back to the Wanderer's Reprieve, I noted bits about Sun as he continued divulging. Growing up in the war-torn kingdom had imprinted upon him an early dose of pragmatic reality. Although he never fell to a life of crime, he wasn't above the _liberation_ of food and clothes better used in others' mouths and hands. Also of note was the boy's wanderlust, something clearly displayed in canon.

Arriving back at the restaurant, Nora, Ren and I took a collective deep breath while Sun looked on, first in confusion and then in apprehension. "Is this guy that scary?"

Ren beat me to it while I was thinking. "It is not that he is frightening, though he is. Rather, we three are rather inexperienced committing any illegal acts, so we're preparing ourselves against any potential nerves or anxiety." Sun dipped back to confusion, which I quickly realized might be his default expression while with us.

"So you're nervous…about getting nervous…while dealing with a guy you said is friendly enough?" At our ambivalent headshakes and hand gestures, Sun nodded. "Nothing to worry about then!"

Without another word, he strode into the building, leaving even Nora dumbstruck for a moment before we scrambled after him. By the time we caught up however, he was already in front of Preto's table.

"So I hear you're the guy to come to for any bets?" Sun began without preamble, as Preto gave an unreadable glance at me.

"…I have such a reputation, yes," Preto replied slowly, before facing Ren, Nora and I. "Seriously? Are you just bringing kids out of the woodwork?"

"This," I gestured over to Sun, "was completely unplanned, and something that I _pray_ will not be happening again for a while. Regardless, are you still taking bets for the Tournament?"

"I am, and you'll be happy to know that almost no other individual has bet on Pyrrha Nikos, save for a man so intoxicated he was barely conscious. I'm sure you know how well that speaks to the odds of your wager," Preto elaborated as the rest of his table laughed.

"Put me down for whatever they bet as well," Sun responded, tossing a pouch of lien over to Preto with his tail, shocking all present. Opening the pouch, Preto looked at the lien, blinked, then drew the pouch closed again.

"To be clear," Preto slowly replied, "You want to bet all of your lien on the same individual as these three, without knowing anything about the situation?"

"Eh, they seem trustworthy to me, and Kouzai here definitely sounds like he knows what he's talking about. Besides, scared money doesn't make money."

"Neither does stupid money," muttered one of the men, only to receive a plate to the face and topple to the ground.

"Never disrespect a potential client," Preto said over the man's groans. "Very well then. The books needed a bit more balance anyways."

"Problem solved then," breezed Sun. "I've placed a few wagers before, so I assume you'll be the ones bringing the good or bad news once the tournament's over?"

"Correct, though I warn you about a potential issue before then." At our bewildered expressions, Preto continued. "I saw no need to inform you three earlier, but as your friend here is a faunus this information becomes pertinent. Recently, a trafficking ring has sprung up in Anima, with Wind Path being a hub for such trade."

Shock covered our faces, but it only got worse. "Their…merchandise, are faunus."

Nora gasped with a hand to her mouth, Ren's eyes narrowed, and I let out a hissed, "_Sons of bitches!_"

As for Sun, he'd gone white as a sheet, tail drooped flat against his jeans.

"Quite," Preto remarked. "I've no love for such deplorable individuals in my territory, and have provided information to city's authorities on their movements. However, they are admittedly competently organized, and remain elusive to capture. Nevertheless, I'm sure they'll find their number is up soon enough. That said, I'd recommend not making any dramatic displays with your friend while in town, for his sake."

"Why now?" I asked.

"Who can say? Some claim such actions are in response to the White Fang's recent violent acts, others decry that such atrocities have been occurring all along," Preto considered. "It hardly matters why such scum have organized, only that they have, and clearly have buyers who'd likely consider your friend prime merchandise."

'Both Sun _and_ Blake would be screwed if anything happened to him, not to mention the rest of Team SSSN.' I nodded. "Thank you for the information. We'll stay vigilant."

"Respect breeds respect, and you've given me that, while these brain-dead respirators have neglected to do so." Preto took a dainty sip from his cup. "I'm also curious if your little gambit will pay off, and am eager to pick your brain for the reason behind such confidence."

"Sure, why not." I tried for all intents and purposes to look like I _wasn't_ fearing a personal chat with a crime boss.

Wandering out of the restaurant, Nora, Ren and I instantly closed ranks around Sun, who looked far twitchier than I'd ever seen him in the show. 'And for good reason too.'

With unanimous agreement, we set out for the nearest decent hotel. Keeping our heads on a swivel, Ren quickly got us a room despite our age after explaining the basics of our situation. Once inside the room, a simple one-bed affair, all four of us sighed in relief, no one more so than Sun.

"Avoiding the gazes of Faunus traffickers could be simpler than we believe," Ren began noting, glancing at Sun. "For example, if we have Sun tuck his tail into his jeans, or barring that, get him baggier pants or even a long coat, he would look just like any other human."

Both Nora and I considered the idea's merits, as Sun coughed in response.

"Yeah…about that…I don't think hiding my tail or swapping my clothing is gonna do much to hide me from these traffickers since, well…I think I stole from them." Sun let out the words as we gaped at him.

"When?" asked Ren.

"How?" Nora followed up.

"WHY?" I finished.

Sun rubbed his head, further tousling his hair. "I blew into town yesterday, and was _actually_ completely broke from travelling. I'm not proud of it, but I lifted a little food. And when I also came across two thugs in the seedier part of town, loud as all get-out about putting 'filthy faunus' in their place, I figured I'd do Remnant a service and…appropriate their wallets for myself. I didn't think anything would come of it, but…"

"It's possible they were traffickers, if the sum of lien you accumulated from them is any indication," Ren finished, face grim. "This is…unfortunate, given that we visited that area of town twice today. Is there any chance Preto would inform the traffickers? He did mention that even criminals have honor in business."

"He also blatantly called them scum, among other things," I countered. "If Preto wanted to sell us out, he could've just kept us there and called them in. Instead, he let us leave, with information about them to boot. It'd be counterproductive if he wanted to see Sun captured."

"It doesn't matter. No more risks for you from here on out, got it Mister?" growled Nora, teal eyes glaring up at Sun's blue ones. The noticeable height difference height failed to aid him in the slightest as he nodded. "Good. We need to figure out what to do starting tomorrow."

"Our goal in Wind Path remains unchanged; to use our funds to acquire weapons," Ren explained. "We've encountered…resistance on both fronts, but the process remains straightforward. Assuming our bets have favorable results, our funds will solve themselves."

"Meaning we should get back to finding proper weapons," I finished the thought. "With the extra objective of keeping Sun safe. The best way to do that is probably to leave Sun here while we go searching for a blacksmith or arms dealer tomorrow. We can leave our stuff here to lighten the load, and with Sun here there's no chance that it'll get stolen. Anyone have objections?"

Sun opened his mouth, glanced at Nora's suspicious glare, then thought better of it. "Great! We'd better tuck in then, considering we've got a day of searching…well, _another_ day of searching ahead of us. I'll take first watch."

"Count me in for the second shift then," Sun remarked. At our looks, he appeared almost offended. "Hey, I'm not letting you three literally lose sleep helping me when I could help. Besides, the more watches there are and the longer I'm on watch, the less time I'll be in a bed with two other guys."

'He's not wrong,' I conceded, taking my place by the window while the rest prepared for bed. 'Though he'll have to get used to being close to just guys for long periods soon enough.'

Staring out the window, ears straining for any out-of-place noises, my mind was awhirl with thoughts. 'This is…this is some heavy stuff. Faunus trafficking? Even the SDC wasn't that explicitly bad in the show, were they? And more importantly, if Sun stole from these guys the first time around, how was he not caught, and why was it never mentioned? Shit, if I lived through what he did, I'd have plenty of motivation to be angrier than his chill self.'

Answers didn't come easily, and neither did sleep once my shift ended. Despite my concerns or feelings of foreboding, however, I eventually drifted off.

… … …

"You're sure this guy's the best around?" Nora questioned skeptically. The three of us stood inside a dusty but roomy storefront, broken or incomplete arms and armor lining the walls. Stranger still, however, were the small bands of metal littering every surface in the room, including the floor.

"The best, definitely. The most reliable? Eh…the most unstable? Oh yes. His skills are first-rate, but business is almost nonexistent since almost no one can get past his…eccentricities." Alarms ringing in my head, I bent down to examine one of the metal bands, turning it over in my fingers. The curves, the filigree…

"It's a ring," I said, looking around the room in growing dread. "They all are."

"YOOOUUUU!" shouted a voice, and we spun to glimpse a fairly short man by one of the doorways. I say glimpse, because he lobbed three lumps at us. Difficult to see in the unlit room, we reacted instinctively to the projectiles. Ren dodged his by mere hairs, while I used Burst on my arms and caught mine, skidding a few feet from the _sheer_ _weight_ of the lump. And Nora?

"FORE!" Swinging Motlyn, Nora drove the lump towards the wall, crashing with a thunderous sound against one of the incomplete shields and _embedding_ the lump in its surface. As Ren sighed and I began counting the potential lawsuits, the man came out from the cover of shadows and gave us our first decent look at him.

First was that this man was old, and I mean _old_. A magnificent white beard made up for being bald, somehow looking soft yet curling up and away like so many tongues of flame. His face sported numerous wrinkles, but had eyes burning with vigor and more than a little hint of something else. Adding to the contradictions was his wheelchair, looking to have been a long-term arrangement if the man's leg scars were any indication. Believing this man to be a blacksmith would've been impossible if it weren't for his _enormous_ arms, biceps like watermelons and shoulders larger than our heads. Said giant arms wheeled the man over to the indented shield, examining the dent before reaching up and casually plucking the lump of metal out.

"Good form," the man grunted, wheeling to face us. "Now what're you here for?"

"We seek you out as potential clients, after hearing talk of your skills," Ren explained, the man pausing for a moment. "Are you Weylin, Sir?"

The man glared at each of us, and I struggled between looking away like any sensible person, or holding the gaze of what seemed like a wild animal.

"I am." The man relented, but instead of feeling superior, I merely felt relief. "If you're serious about my smithing, I've got a test for you first."

"OOH, is it to find the real ring among the copies?" Nora questioned, as I paled. 'I'm awful at spot the difference puzzles, so something like this-"

"NO!" Weylin shouted, shaking the room and rattling the loose metal. Bringing his hand to his chest, he fiddled with a small chain hidden behind his beard, and I glmipsed a metal band. "No…this is the real one, and no one's taking it from me. Not anymore. I made sure of that."

Weylin's tone gave us pause, before he grunted again. "Wait here." Turning the wheelchair around, he wheeled out of the room as silence fell again.

"I believe I know some of his eccentricities now," Ren deadpanned. "Having met the man, you're still set on commissioning him?"

"Well, we've already established a rapport with Wind Path's Dark King, so working with one slightly-intense, slightly-insane, blacksmith isn't too much of a stretch, right?" Ren seemed apprehensive, but didn't press the point. 'It may be a bit darker than what they dealt with in canon, but if it guarantees Nora and Ren, and by extension me, are as equipped as we can be, it'll be worth it.'

"Y'know, after thinking about it, I don't think I need some test to do work for you three. What say we drink in commemoration, and I'll get started." Weylin wheeled back into the room, balancing a serving tray with two goblets of dark liquid, which he grasped and raised in the air. "Now, who's drinking with me?"

He received no answer, response, or anything hinting our souls were present. Such silence resulted from the goblets he carried.

They were very clearly _skulls_.

"Well? I'm strong, but these old arms can't keep these up forever." Weylin grinned. "Who wants to-"

"OH HELL NO!" Nora hefted Motlyn in her hands, as Ren hovered his hand over Nanakusa for a quick knife throw. As for me…

"This is _definitely _the test. Do we drink whatever's in there, or refuse instead? Is it to choose one of the goblets? More importantly, why am I even considering this? He's holding two _skulls_, ones he likely 'acquired' and carved himself!'

I was about to give my own sharp retort when some pieces fell into place. Against my better judgment, I asked, "Are those the people who stole that ring from you?"

Ren and Nora threw baffled looks my way, as Weylin's grin took on a sinister edge. "They were. Does that bother you?"

"So much so that I wanna run away screaming, but I'll disregard that for now." I shut away my emotions, noticeable fear included. "What happened to the owner of that ring? It looks too small for you."

His eyes added to overall dread his expression induced, like two orbs of madness. "She left, and left this behind. It's all I have left of her."

I sighed. "Last question then. Do you regret what happened?"

The man's face dimmed, and sanity flowed back into his expression as his eyes gazed off. "No, not the act itself. But I do regret what I did after."

Turning to me, he said, "So what's your choice? Make no mistake, you're dealing with a murderer, moreso than any other weapon-maker. If I make a weapon, _dust_, if I make armor, it's done with the understanding that it'll shed blood, and some of it won't be Grimm or animal. You wanna protect Remnant from monsters? Try the ones lurking within your walls first."

'I know that better than most on Remnant. Without any Grimm on Earth, the only monsters _are_ humans.' I pointed at the skulls. "One last question. Are those clean?"

Weylin's eyebrows merely lifted as he nodded, while Ren's jaw dropped. Nora straight-up fainted. Swallowing rising bile, I walked towards Weylin, and reached for one of the goblets. 'In for a penny…'

Only for Weylin to bring both goblets to his mouth, tilt back, and waterfall their contents. All conscious jaws dropped as Weylin drained their contents, smacking his lips. "Ah, that's good wine."

Noticing our gobsmacked faces, his expression became quizzical. "Did you want some? Personally, I'd offer, but think of the trouble I'd get for getting underage clients drunk. What am I, crazy?"

'Use words!' "You, but, skulls, test…" 'There we go.'

"What, these?" Weylin lifted both skulls. "They're just for shock and awe, a screener for anyone squeamish at non-Grimm violence. I won't have pansies using my work!"

"So the skulls are merely decorative then?" Ren questioned as he lifted Nora into his arms. "Those aren't the remains of people you've killed?"

"No, they definitely are," Weylin corrected, causing Ren to nearly drop Nora in shock. "I make that clear to every potential client. You," he said, looking at me, "were put off by the sight, but went for it anyways. That tells me you're willing to put others' burdens, including these two, before your own principles. You, and I guess by extension them, I can work with."

Then his eyes softened. "Word of advice though. Don't be so quick to darken your soul for the sake of others. Not yet, at least."

"Anywho, since you three have little else but your clothes and weapons, I'm assuming you don't have any ideas or schematics on what you're looking for yet. Come back when you have something and I'll start running you all through the process. Good? Then scram, I've got nothing to do!"

As Ren and I left, still bamboozled, Nora stirred in Ren's arms, then flinched as her eyes shot open and looked for me.

"Kouzai! Don't drink the scary skull blood! Wait, did you drink it already? Are you a vampire? Are you going to drink my blood?!" Flailing her arms to ward me off, she inadvertently slapped Ren in the face. Pausing, her arms sought out the victim of her strike, eyes still on me. Both hands felt Ren's face and pulled at his cheeks, before Nora slowly turned to look up at Ren.

"Did you rest well, Nora?" Ren asked, oblivious to Nora's reddening expression.

'Three, two, one…'

"AAAAHHHH!" Nora literally flopped out of Ren's arms with nothing but core strength, righted herself and landed on one foot before curling into a fetal position crouch, head between her legs in her arms.

"Is there a problem, Nora?" Ren asked, confused. "If you're still feeling unwell, I wouldn't mind carrying you further. You're very light after all."

"Gbrlbmll…" Muffled mutterings drifted from the embarrassed ball that was Nora Valkyrie. I squatted down beside her, right by her ear.

"So, how did it feel to wake up in Ren's arms?" I whispered mischievously, enjoying the flinch Nora gave, one eye peeking out from her shell to confirm that I _knew_. Before she could respond, I straightened and turned to Ren. "So, what now?"

"Now, we return to the room and Sun, and finalize our weapon concepts for Weylin to begin creating upon our return. The sooner that we have our weapons, the sooner that Sun can be safe from danger." Ren's face was unchanged, but his body exuded slight tension. Nora and I exchanged glances, then set off after Ren as he walked back to the hotel.

'I wonder what's shaken Ren's ironclad emotional control.' I considered. 'He's usually an unbreakable wall of calm. The only times he started losing control were during…Volume 4…'

I trailed off as we neared the hotel, a small crowd gathered outside. Nearing the entrance, the sight of broken glass and bullet casings filled our lungs with unease. Pushing inside, we ignored indignant shouts in favor of rushing upstairs. Reaching the floor our room was on, the group of uniforms made it clear what had happened. Reaching our door, two officers standing outside stopped us.

"This is an active crime scene, all non-involved individuals must remain outside of the perimeter so-" The man speaking didn't get any further as Nora and I pushed into the room, Ren pausing long enough to present our room key before joining us.

The room looked beaten to hell, with clear signs of a fight. Furniture overturned and smashed, scrapes lining the walls and what looked like bullet holes embedded around the room.

'Damn…'

"Excuse me, but I repeat, this is an active crime scene and you're currently standing in the middle of the evidence. Now, as I understand it this is your room, so if you could come with us, we'd like to-'

The man was cut off a second time as the three of us rushed out of the room, Nora yelling back, "SCREW THAT! Our friend just got kidnapped!"

"We need to split up and cover as much ground as possible. They're definitely travelling either on foot or by car, so stick to the roads." My mind was running in overdrive. "Call as soon as you see Sun or any traffickers, but make sure to stay clear. If these guys beat Sun, they're not people that we should fight separately."

Exiting out of a side entrance, we nodded to each other as Ren ran towards the rundown area of the city, while Nora dashed into the industrial section. I sprinted into the commercial area, blazing past crowds and looking for anything suspicious. Luckily, my search was going quickly. Unluckily, that also meant I was finding nothing. Frustrated, I ducked into one of the alleys, used Burst on my arms and legs, and started climbing up the alleyway building. Hauling myself onto the roof, I went rooftop running, using the aerial view for a better look.

"A parkour dream right fulfilled. If only I wasn't in the middle of a life-or-death stakes situation!" I growled, jumping to a lower rooftop. "Damnit, why didn't Sun contact us on his scroll?..._Dust_, he's broke, he wouldn't have one!"

Then, by some miracle, I caught a glimpse, just a glimpse of a bound and gagged body being carried by two men down another alley. I looked for further reinforcements, finding none. 'Two guys? If I ambush one, I could take the other…'

Remaining silent, I traversed the rooftops, used Burst on my arms and leapt off the roof. Clenching Protector and Conqueror, I bit back a shout of fury as I fell, and brought them down one after the other on the back man's collarbone. The first impacted against Aura, as the second shattered his Aura shield, the man dropped like a sack of potatoes groaning on the ground. Viciously kicking his face, I turned to face his partner, who _dropped Sun_ to the ground, and pulled out a sword.

"Back the fuck off if you wanna stay in one piece, kid," the man growled. "We're doing the world a favor, putting these animals to work."

"The only animal here is you." I used Burst on my legs, dashed forward and swung Conqueror, before the machete blocked it. Both weapons grated against each other, and I saw the machete had chips in it signaling a lack of Aura reinforcement. The thug swung with all of his might and knocked me back. Now at a distance, I closed in again, only to see the man draw a pistol and fire. With no time to dodge at point-blank range, I bolstered my Aura shield just as the bullet impacted my shoulder, grunting as the force spun me around. Gritting my teeth, I steered into the skid and used the momentum to swing Protector, using Burst on my arm as I cracked the man across his skull, his Aura shattering as well.

"Okay, now to-ARGH!" I stumbled forward, pain exploding at the back of my skull, staggering as my Aura dropped significantly. Whirling around, I blinked past stars to see the attacker fire another shot, hitting me directly in the chest as I was blown off my feet, my own Aura shield shattered.

"I leave for two minutes," A kick to my face ruined my attempt to sit up, "and you both get laid out by some brat? No wonder why everyone thinks we're a joke." A kick to my ribs sent me rolling across the ground, clutching at my side. From the ground, I saw a figure reach down to pick up Protector and Conqueror.

SNAP

CRACK

Both bamboo weapons fell in pieces, as the figure drew closer. A yank on my hair had me forcefully rising, to meet the face of the third attacker, with sadistic eyes and a malicious smile. I glared as he looked at my body up and down indifferently.

"You appear human, so I'm confused why you're helping this Faunus scum here." He gestured back to Sun, who was stirring from being dropped. "Y'see, given his stature and Aura, he'd have been a rare find anyways. But he had the nerve to steal from my colleagues, then gamble it away."

My eyes widened as the man chuckled. "Yeah, we heard about your visit to the Dark King. He keeps all bookmaking matters tight, but he can't stop people inside the restaurant from…divulging information. Add the fact that our little access cards are trackable, and finding this one was easy."

Twirling a card around, I saw a sickle 'C' circling a faunus head. Muffled shouts drew my attention, as Sun looked back and forth between the man and I frantically. "Ah damn, awake already. We better get moving again. Oi, get up!"

Releasing my hair, I fell back onto the ground as the man walked over to clock Sun across his face, then sling him over his shoulder. Close by, the other conscious thug supported his mostly-unconscious partner as the two began stumbling away.

"Oh yeah, almost forgot," the man holding Sun said conversationally. Turning back to me, he added, "The next time any of our group see you, we'll peg you as a race traitor and kill you. Ciao."

Turning away, blinding pain had my eyes near-screwed shut. However, I was just observant enough to see Sun's dazed eyes from the man's back as he walked away.

It took an eternity before they left my sight.

… … …

"You're quite fortunate, son. I've seen and heard similar confrontations ending much less favorably. We thank you for doing your civil duty and trying your best to stop such a heinous crime, but please leave it to the professionals. We'll get to the bottom of this. For now, your job is to rest up and get better." The officer who interviewing me took his leave, and I leaned back on the hospital bed, glancing at Ren and Nora, both appearing none too pleased.

After losing Sun, I'd laid in the alley before some officers arrived, citing reports of gunshots. Taking me to the hospital, I was given aid while answering some of the officers' questions. I managed to swing the conversation from our flight from the hotel to information on the trafficking ring. Apparently, they called themselves the Cleansers, which helped explain the sickle 'C' on their cards. In the middle of all this, Ren and Nora rushed into the hospital after receiving the call from my scroll. Now, I sat there as Ren looked near the boiling point.

"So after _you_ said to remain at a distance and call in as to our whereabouts, you proceeded to fight _multiple armed_ kidnappers, and got beaten for your troubles. Does that sound like the summary of events?" Ren asked between clenched teeth. At my meek nod, he sighed, then pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Why did you do that, Kouzai? You're usually the patient one, at least compared to me, and even I would've waited," Nora added with disappointed eyes. I swear that hurt more than the hits I'd sustained after my Aura shield shattered.

"I…I can't really say," I replied, frustrated with myself. "I just saw Sun, trapped, and I just couldn't hold back out of anger and fear. And there were only two at the time, which I thought I could take."

"Foolish, considering you've yet to experience fighting multiple opponents, at least before today," Ren stressed. "You're now injured, and a person of interest in an investigation. You should count yourself lucky your Aura sustained itself for those last few blows to mitigate the damage, or else you would surely have fractures and possibly even brain damage. Thankfully, your wounds will likely heal within the next few days, so we can resume searching in the meantime."

"About that…," I responded weakly. "Maybe we should leave the investigating to the police at this point. We've searched the relevant districts and came up empty, and their group is more formidable than a few Grimm at a time. We've done our part."

Silence fell in the room, and I looked at Ren. The boy's face looked haunted, like all the building irritation had vanished, and left some hollow husk in its place.

"You want to…leave things…to the police?" Ren asked slowly. "To sit back…let others risk themselves for our mistakes? To abandon Sun when he needs us?!"

"No, I _do not_ want to let things be!" I countered hotly. "I _want_ to find Sun, and I _want_ to free him. But damnit, this isn't a game! If we continue searching, our lives are on the line, and we might even put those captured faunus at risk. Isn't that something to take caution about?"

Fast as lightning, Ren's fist whipped my head sideways, before Nora held him back with a shocked expression. "What are you doing?"

Ren's face was like thunder. "You think I don't know that lives are at risk? This has _never_ been a game, for any of us!...at least, that's what I believed. Are your convictions towards saving lives really so fragile?"

At this, I glared back at Ren. "No, they are _not_. I believe in saving people, as many as I can." 'More than you could know.' "But what about the big picture? Do you really think any of us, or even the three of us can do more for these faunus than Wind Path's police or even Preto's men? Do you really think that just one person can make such a tangible difference with their own two hands?"

Such words seemed to cut through Ren's anger, his expression slowly becoming solemn, his voice a whisper. "I have to. I have to believe in making difference with even just one person. That's what being a Huntsman or Huntress is."

"And you're not alone. None of us are. A group of people, as small as three, can shape others' lives for the better," Nora insisted, grasping Ren and I by our hands. "Isn't that something we all believe in?"

My expression was frozen. 'Is it really that simple? Can I really believe it takes just one person to make a difference? All this time, I've tried to help Nora and Ren, and even Sun, get on the right path because of my presence on Remnant. I thought I was just trying to set things right and set myself up to survive in the end…maybe I do believe in change, in being able to help people along if you have the right knowledge, if you're willing to watch over them." My eyes narrowed, and my jaw set. "No, I _do_ believe, and it's time I show that."

"It's a sad day when I'm receiving life advice from someone so much younger than me…" I shook my head, face softening. Only for Nora to chop my head.

"Hey! I'm only a few months younger than you! No need to lord it over my head!" Nora exclaimed indignantly. "Now c'mon, we need a plan here and mine always get shot down."

I rolled my eyes, gesturing for both to sit. "Okay, I made sure this room was bug-free earlier in case we needed to talk, which I guess is a little late to mention. Nonetheless, I have a plan."

Stringing together ideas I'd stumbled upon and spitting them out, I waited for their reaction. Ren was the first to recover.

"Your plan is asinine," he deadpanned as I winced. Clearly, he was still annoyed at me. "But…a few modifications would make it more possible."

As Ren gave his suggestions, Nora jumped up and exclaimed, "I'VE GOT IT!" After some shushes from workers outside of the room, she gave her little tweak to the plan we'd put together.

"Are we sure this'll work?" I questioned. "This is a lot of assumptions and risks."

"We've never doubted ourselves before, and we won't start now," Nora stated confidently.

"I believe the merit is worth the risk," Ren added. I sighed, then chuckled as Ren and Nora gave me confused looks.

"It's nothing, it's just…I make stupid plans, Ren corrects them, and Nora makes them stupidly crazy. Business as usual." At this, Ren and Nora grinned as well, before we all steeled ourselves. "Alright, we don't know how long we have to save Sun, so we'll have to act as soon as possible. By nighttime tomorrow, we're going to tear a trafficking ring down."

'Hey, crazier words were spoken in the show, right?'

… … …

… … …

"Ren, are you sure you're okay now? You were really angry at Kouzai earlier." Ren glanced down at Nora and patted her head, a habit formed over the years.

"I'm fine, Nora. The stress just piled up on me, along with some uncomfortable thoughts I had." The two were on a bed in one of the hospital's hospitality suites, compensation by Wind Path's police for their room being a crime scene. Together, but not together-together, as Nora would say. Despite any thoughts he-no, getting off track. He felt Nora wordlessly asking to confide his thoughts in her, like he had done for her, and sometimes Kouzai.

"It's about Kouzai's decisions while in Wind Path, but after thinking on it, such a trait has been present since we first met." He knew that Nora was giving her undivided attention. "Dealing with Preto, volunteering to…drink with Weylin, even fighting those traffickers alone earlier. He seems patient, but in certain matters, he displays a frightening intensity towards constant improvement and results. And I'm beginning to see that many of those matters relate to us.

Instead of waiting for new stock, or working towards having sufficient lien, Kouzai made an illegal gamble with the city's crime lord, so we could receive our weapons sooner. And again at Weylin's. I _know_ that he respects life, down to his choice of blunt weapons. But to even think of engaging in such a reviled act, merely to acquire quality weapons? He places the group's needs above his own, including those of his soul. That…is unnerving."

"But what if he just wants to protect himself?" Nora argued weakly. "It's horrible to say, but what if he wants weapons so badly to protect himself. A-and he has those journals that he never, _ever_ lets us see, like he's got some terrible secret. I know it feels wrong to think of him as selfish, but it's better than suggesting he's…broken."

Both sat silently contemplating. Most aspiring huntsmen or huntresses sought to become so because of a desire to do good, but often with a corresponding selfish desire borne from tragedy. If their friend was so selfless in his pursuit to help, did that make him more selfish? Or a product of even greater tragedy?

… … …

**A/N: Aaand done. Whew, the fun never ends, right? For both writer and character. I thought for a while how to integrate events into the story without contradicting canon or leaving myself open to being disproved in the next season of RWBY. The White Fang's violent rise, and the natural pushback, was a natural hook with many avenues to write about.**

**Now for the stinger above. Much of the fun of fanfiction comes from reading about our favorite characters acting in situations not addressed in canon. As SI's tend to focus on events surrounding themselves, getting perspectives of canon characters can be difficult at times. Having the stinger, however, lets me get a snapshot of canon characters reacting to these exact events. I think adding these to the fic will be an interesting addition, so look forward to these as well. But fear not! Our little bonuses-I mean, omakes, are still kicking. Enjoy.**

**OMAKE**

"Could you explain once more what the purpose of the visit is, Ms. Goodwitch?"

"As you are quickly approaching the age for potential enrollment in a combat school, Professor Ozpin and I thought it fitting that you might enjoy a trip to Signal Academy, Vale's most prominent combat school. Such an experience might benefit any deliberations you might have in which school to attend." As the bullhead landed, Glynda turned to me and smiled. "I also have a surprise for you."

The door began lowering as she continued. "Your time at Beacon, while obviously a very beneficial learning experience, has lacked those who you could call peers. So I arranged for some special guides during our tour around Signal Academy."

My eyes widened upon seeing a head of short blond hair, blue eyes and stubble.

"They are the family that Professor Ozpin considered requesting to take you in when we first met."

"How could I forget?" I asked, holding back a twitch as a waterfall of sun-kissed hair with lilac eyes came into view.

"They are a professor of Signal Academy, along with his two daughters, one your age, the other two years your junior."

The door almost touching the ground, the last head finally appeared, with dark, red-accented hair and the first pair of silver eyes I'd ever seen, tucked into a body that practically vibrated in place.

"Please meet Professor Taiyang Xiao Long, Yang Xiao Long, and Ruby Rose."

Eleven-year-old Ruby squealed excitedly and streaked out of my vision before a hand grasped my wrist. Instinctively channeling Aura, I saved myself from a dislocated arm as Ruby raced off the Bullhead with me in tow.

"Ohmygosh, this is amazing! Dad told me and Yang about a kid living at Beacon, and when he said you'd be coming to look at Signal I was so excited! YouhavetotellmeallboutbeaconIhavesomanyquestionsaboutbeaconandyou-"

"Geez Rubes, let the guy get a word in before going full motormouth on him." A thirteen-year-old Yang was one merciful inch shorter than I was currently, not that it affected her supreme confidence. "So you're Mistralian then? Or is it just your name? I'll find out. In the meantime, I've gotta figure out a nickname for you, something that screams Xiao Long humor."

'The kind with horrible puns?' Ruby and I groaned in solidarity with one another.

Behind us, I heard Glynda engaging with Taiyang. "So he's the kid, huh? When Qrow and Oz told me, I thought they were playing some elaborate prank. I mean, Glynda Goodwitch with a child, one that fell out of the sky into her lap?"

Glynda twitched, preparing to administer telekinetic reprimanding, before Tai smiled and backed off to show he was joking. Sighing, she let a slow smile come to her face as she looked at me. "It has certainly been an…interesting course of events. While certainly unexpected, the last nine months have been lovely and rewarding." A tug on my arm interrupted my eavesdropping.

"What's with the standing? Let's head to my family's house first, we've got fresh cookies to eat and stories to tell!" Ruby exclaimed cheerfully. I paled at the thought of having to fake my way through amnesia with fragmented fake memories again.

"And later, I'll show you the sparring ring at Signal. You can even show off some of the moves you've learned while living at Beacon," Yang added, a glint in her eye. Common sense dictated that if we sparred I would likely die.

'Is it too late to get back on the bullhead?'

… … …

**A/N: I repeat, no romance in the immediate future. But like this SI in Mistral deals with Ren and Nora, a Vale-centric fic, specifically one closely weaved with Ozpin and Glynda, naturally encounters the most badass sisters on Remnant. And their dad. **

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 09/23/19**


	8. Chapter 5: The Weakest Link

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Hello, Hello! It's Monday again! Wow, updating this fic weekly makes Mondays far better for me. Sorry for the semi-late update, had a lot going on over the weekend. But I digress.**

**Before I forget, I had some messages asking where I got the inspiration for the OC's and weapons' names, along with the chapter titles. For the weapons, I made Ren's the Japanese translation of "Seven Flowers", while Nora's meant "Brave Lightning" in Danish. As for the OC's, Weylin references a crazy smith of lore, who I modeled Weylin off of. And Preto? This chapter gives a tiny hint as to where I got his name. The chapter titles, at least the recent ones, are parts of proverbs.**

**Chapter 5: The Weakest Link**

**Chapter Date: 09/23/19**

It took Nora and Ren past noon to find the Cleansers. After some _very_ restless sleep, my Aura had done its best to patch me up, leaving me with some residual bruising and a niggling headache. However, I couldn't leave the hospital quite yet in case the cops had further questions. Thankfully, Nora and Ren were under no such compunctions, and spent the morning tirelessly searching for the Cleansers' hideout. Eventually, their efforts were rewarded, and both returned to recover their energy and sit in tense silence.

I'd been on the bed considering my journal notes on canon again. Some deep thinking had shown me it was Sun's natural elusiveness that helped him evade the Cleansers in the original timeline, albeit unintentionally. Meaning that it was sticking with Nora, Ren and I that got him caught, but I pushed the thought aside.

"What's the operation type?" I asked. "Domestic or international?"

"It's difficult to discern from the outside," Ren replied. "They could be shipping Faunus to other regions of Anima, or be shuttling them towards the western coast for overseas transport."

"Tch, identifying the buyers would've been helpful," I lamented. "It's fine, not the important part of the reconnaissance. How big does their crew look?"

"They've got tooonnns of guys," Nora groaned, then looked over at my impatient expression. "Err, meaning a few dozen by our guess."

"A _few_ dozen? Nuts, this is gonna be awful." I rubbed my eyes. "Ok, we can plan accordingly. How do our weapons and gear look?"

"We stopped by Weylin's earlier. Despite his…annoyance at our lack of weapon sketches, he provided some 'unsellable' pieces, so we are well-equipped." Ren shuddered. "Having a conversation with him likely shaved years off my lifespan."

"I don't know, he kinda grows on you," Nora mused, and Ren and I gaped before groaning in realization. 'Of course the insane, super-strong, short girl likes the insane, super-strong, short blacksmith.'

"Alright. I'm prepared on my end, so come the evening we'll be ready." I paused to look at both of them; nervous, and more importantly, young. "Are you both sure about this? If we do this, there's no turning back, and on multiple counts."

'If Sun, Nora and Ren get killed by my mistakes, forget me dying, all of Remnant will suffer for it." The room closed in, and my injuries throbbed from fruitless attempts to breathe. 'I can't fail, I can't fail, I-"

"Hey." Ironically, it was Nora's soothing tone that broke the loop. Gently grasping my hand, she lightly squeezed, the warmth a lifeline away from my thoughts. "We can do this. We _will_ do this, for Sun and every other faunus taken. This plan was made by all three of us, so it's so good that no one'll see us coming."

I gave a trembling smile, then sighed. "Yeah, we'll be fine."

'And the Oscar for Best Actor goes to…'

… … …

"You know what, it's not too late to call the cops, grab Sun and hightail it all the way back to Yozakura. I'm sure Weylin's got a scroll, we can just send-"

"_No_," Nora hissed quietly, or quietly for her. "We're doing this."

"Guys…" Ren whispered warningly. "I'm in position. Nora, any issues remaining hidden after I left?"

"Nope," Nora popped. "Well, besides wanting to introduce Motlyn to their faces and legs. I'm still hidden though!"

"Great. Kouzai?"

"Just waiting for you two to make your moves."

"Alright. On your signal, Nora." Ren and I both tensed at his words, and waited. After a few seconds, chaos was unleashed.

"_**I'M HERE TO BREAK SOME LEGS!**_"

An explosion rocked the warehouse, and from my position on the roof across the street, I saw the guards outside turn in unison.

"How the hell did someone get inside?"

"Who knows, who cares? Get some men and smoke them out, NOW!"

"Warm up the trucks too, we need a fast exit if things go south."

"Okay, so far, so obvious." I muttered, waiting for the inevitable outburst.

"…This truck's grounded!..._all_ the trucks are grounded!"

"HOW? We were standing here the whole time!"

'Any second now…' As if on cue, three knives flew out of the shadows and sparked violently off a guard's aura before a fourth sank into his calf. The man collapsed as if his strings were cut, howling in pain and jerking on the ground.

"Shit! Light this trash up!" another man roared, and a half-a-dozen guards fired towards the shadows while another other half charged in with melee weapons. They only got a few steps before one called out, "Uhh…there's no one here!"

"I am here…," a voice came from the opposite direction, all the men whirling around, "…to deliver…retribution."

Another half-dozen knives flew from another patch of shadows, and two gunners fell with similar wounds in their arms and legs.

"Enough games, fucker!" the man leading this group shouted. "Find him!"

'He is vengeance, he is the night…' I silently laughed, jumping to the other roof. Using Burst, I rushed to the rooftop guard and dispatched him with two dull cracks to the head. As the man fell, I completed the quote, 'He is…LIE REN!'

… … …

"_So we agree Nora will be the diversion, Ren will be the infiltration, and I'll bust the faunus out?" Ren nodded while Nora seemed deep in thought._

"_That sounds like the wisest course of action," Ren confirmed. "Nora is best-suited for a prolonged battle with those outside and draw attention away from inside to make freeing the faunus easier. Meanwhile, my semblance makes me more unnoticeable, meaning that I can secure the surveillance room to cut off their eyes and ears, leaving you hopefully relatively free to save the captured faunus."_

"_These are still slim odds though," I hedged. "If we don't-"_

"_I'VE GOT IT!" Nora shouted, jumping up from her seat. After shushes from workers outside the room, Nora grabbed our heads and forcibly leaned us in._

"_What if," she whispered conspiratorially, "we switch mine and Ren's jobs?"_

_Ren and I blinked, before I asked the obvious. "Doesn't that go against everything we know about your strengths?"_

"_It does, but it doesn't," Nora stated proudly. "I'm definitely good fighting multiple people with Motlyn and my grenades, but sabotaging the trucks and drawing attention outside is secondary to holding the surveillance room. Someone needs to keep them out of the room as long as possible, and I'm perfect for that! Meanwhile, wrecking the trucks will take quiet skills that I don't have. And since we'll be fighting at night, Ren's semblance will make finding him extra hard!"_

_Ren and I were shocked speechless for a good minute as the hamster wheels in our heads went into overdrive, broke their axles and rolled right out of our heads._

"_That's genius." I whispered. And holy crap it was! 'I'd have never thought about it.'_

"_Ok, so I would be outside fighting traffickers with guns," Ren's deadpan could not have been flatter if he tried, "while Nora will be…"_

… … …

"PREPARE TO HAVE YOUR LEGS BROKEN!"

A mangled shriek resounded inside the building as my toes curled. 'Jesus…I guess she's in the monitor room now. Time to move.'

Finding the roof access, I took the ladder and descended as quietly as I could, not that much stealth was required over the cacophony of shouts, gunfire, and grenades from both inside and outside. Feet landing on a upper-level, I crouched and looked out over the railing in the dark.

The large room was dim, cold and damp. A blend of foul odors wafted from below, as I realized that those captured likely weren't given bathing or bathroom rights. The center of the room held rows of cages, and I didn't need to guess what was inside. Straining my eyes, I scanned the room for the number of traffickers, and then for Sun. An extra-reinforced cage towards the back clued me in.

'About a half-dozen guards. Less than I could expect, but more than I can take at once. Either I sneak around and take them one-by-one, which likely won't be that sneaky, or break Sun out to take them together.' Both were long shots, but I was out of options. The idea of Nora and Ren each holding off over double the men that I was forced my hand. Dropping to the ground, I neared the cages and tensed when I saw eyes looking directly at me.

'Shit, I forgot about faunus senses!' I silently shushed, and miraculously, the faunus held back their excitement or fear. I circled around the rows of cages, repeating my pleas for silence to the other faunus. Fortunately or unfortunately, the captives were all old enough to understand that I _did not_ look like a trafficker, and were either grateful or cowed enough by my appearance to bite back words. Arriving at Sun's cage, I knew I had seconds before a guard looped back. Peering in, I couldn't hold back my strangled gasp and low curse at Sun's appearance.

Dark splotches over the boy's face, bare torso and arms spoke of his resistance and subsequent beating by the traffickers. Soft wheezing, even unconscious, indicated likely multiple broken ribs, and with his bent tail, crooked fingers and swollen eyes, it'd be a miracle if he could put up a fight even if freed.

Clomping footsteps were all too close, and I ducked away. 'If I'm down to one combatant, me, I'll need to take almost all of them out a lot silently.'

"PSST!" Turning, a dog-eared faunus grasped the cage's bars. "Get us _out_ already!"

"_Little busy trying to beat six armed thugs_!" I hiss-whispered. 'Even if I time my attacks with a grenade explosion, those won't come often enough to make a difference before-"

"Then even the odds!" the faunus hissed back, and the mental lightbulb blinked on.

I had time for maybe a sentence. "When you hear someone get knocked out, make a ruckus. Spread the word." I nearly dove away as another guard rounded the corner, but I had a plan, shaky as it was.

Climbing another ladder, I re-counting the numbers from above. 'Four below, two above.' Tiptoeing to opposite of where I spoke to the Faunus and found Sun, I climbed over the railing and hung on the upper-level's underside and waited. Closer and closer footsteps came, until…without a break in stride, a guard passed over and continued around the loop. Slowly, carefully, I climbed back topside, and tailed him.

'Thank you me, for wearing all black and for being naturally quiet.' I pulled out my temporary weapons, two steel rods provided by Weylin. Holding my breath, seconds passed while waiting for the right moment.

Another explosion vibrated the walls, and I lunged. Swiping sideways with Conqueror, a crack and flash of Aura had the man grunting and tilting into the railing. Bringing Protector down, I sandwiched the man's head between the railing and my weapon, a low hum ringing out as his Aura shattered and he slumped down. Grabbing the guard's body and removing his gun, I heaved him over the railing and dropped him onto one of the tall cages holding multiple faunus.

THUMP

"Hey! What was that?" A guard below asked, before calling out. "Someone up there check that out."

"HEY! Human scum!" a voice shouted from the opposite end of the room. "This roof's about to come down on our heads! Let us out already!"

Other voices joined in, and the air filled with noise as the captives let their negativity seethe.

With under twenty seconds before the other guard made his way around, I returned under the railing a little ways behind his unconscious colleague. As the other guard came stomping over and looked around, he looked over the railing and saw the body. "HEY! THERE'S-"

I swung Protector and Conqueror from opposite directions, simultaneously slamming the man's head before kicking him over the railing, watching as he landed on top of his partner's body with a slightly softer thump.

'Crap, the weapons!' I leapt onto the cage as gunfire rang out, and all fell silent.

"SHUT UP!" a guard roared. "If I hear so much as another peep out of any of you, I'll paint the walls red with animal blood. Always more stock available."

Grabbing the other guard's gun, I quietly looped back to the dog-eared faunus.

"_Great_ plan!" the faunus whispered sarcastically. "What else you-" He stopped and squinted as I shoved a pistol at him, handle-end first of course.

"Take this. I'm going to break your cage and the reinforced one. Shoot any trafficker in your sights." The faunus wordlessly took the pistol and squinted again, before nodding. Concentrating, I used Burst and on the next explosion, I leveraged the cage's lock out of place. Then I sprinted down to Sun's cage. Keeping my ears open, I tried bending the bars with Burst. Unsurprisingly, they refused to budge. Grimly, I Aura-reinforced Protector and Conqueror.

One deep breath. 'Once I do this, they'll come running.'

Two. 'I lost to three yesterday, and now I'm about to fight four.'

Three. 'Bad odds for them.'

Gritting my teeth, I used Burst and slammed both rods into the bars repeatedly.

"The hell is that banging? I just said I'd kill you all! Someone check that out!"

Footsteps echoed around the room, and I hissed as the bars began bending. "Sun! Get up!" He stirred, but I was out of time. Moving to the cage opposite his, I put the other pistol into the hands of a trembling goat faunus.

"If you see another human that isn't me or another teenager, shoot them." Using Burst, I jumped on top of the cage and into the air. Seeing another two guards on the left side, I landed behind them as one turned the corner. Using Burst on all four limbs, I rammed the second guard and sliced both rods onto the man's collarbone. The combined force shattered the guard's Aura, and the man went down as the pain overloaded his senses. I stomped down on the guard's face as the first leveled his gun at me, but took multiple shots in the back as his Aura shattered and bullets carved through him. The gunfire stopping almost immediately, I was thankful for faunus vision saving me from friendly fire.

Turning back, I nearly gagged at the first guard's body, blood oozing out. It wasn't the first corpse I'd seen, but it was the first I'd contributed to, even indirectly. Swallowing bile, I grabbed both bodies and dumped them against the nearest cage. "Look for keys. If they don't have them, grab their guns and be ready to shoot."

Gunfire on the other end of the room drew my attention away. 'Looks like my own guard is busy.' Knowing he couldn't hold them off for long, I jumped atop the cages again and in the direction of the gunfire.

"HEY ASSHOLES!" I shouted, drawing their attention. Acting preemptively, I threw Conqueror to knock a guard's gun aside as I fell upon the other. A crack to the head with Protector temporarily dazed him, and I kicked him away as I rolled forward to pick up Conqueror. Lunging, I buried my knee in the last guard's ribcage, then bought both weapons down on the man's back, finally dropping him. Again pushing the traffickers to another cage, I rounded the corner again and froze.

Outside of Sun's cage was a man dressed in a matching slate-gray tailcoat and pants, with long black boots and gloves complementing his hair and beard. A double-sided saber connected by a thin cylinder hung at his left hip, as his right arm was raised as if appraising the air.

"Children." His voice was shockingly soft for what I guessed was the boss of this group, if the 'Asskicking equals authority' trope held up. "We are under attack by children. That…is upsetting."

With the man's exotic clothing and weapon indicating huntsman-caliber skill, I was screwed eight ways to Sunday. "But…that doesn't mean the plan fails."

Raising my voice, I shouted, "Everyone with a gun, light him up!" Thankfully, the faunus listened, and bullets streaked at the huntsman from multiple directions. Fluid dodging and well-placed blocks with his sword nullified their attempts, but I used Burst on all four limbs and bodily rammed the huntsman in the middle of his dodge. Amused, he skidded back a few yards onto another cage, leaving Sun's cage unattended. Reaching inside and hauling Sun out, the faunus seemed cognizant, looking up and slurring, "Kouzai? What do we do?"

I sighed, mental wheels turning. I pushed Protector and Conqueror into Sun's hands. "_We_…do nothing. _You_, are going to help these faunus escape from the building. Find Nora and bail her out of the surveillance room too."

I pushed him in the opposite direction of where I faced, looking at the huntsman. "_I_…have some ass to kick." Using Burst on all four limbs again, I dashed and threw a punch. The huntsman easily sidestepped and threw me across the row of cages like a pinball, bouncing twice.

"So confident, so sure of yourself." The man seemed confused, as he levelled his sword at me. "So misguided." The periphery showed the Faunus exiting their cages and moving en masse.

'They need more time.' I lamented. Pushing more Aura into my muscles, I flinched as I surpassed the self-imposed limit on Burst, perpetually amplifying my muscles. 'I'll give them every second I've got.'

I rushed the huntsman again, the man smirking as he swung his sword with blinding speed. I swayed out of the way, twisting to throw a hook at his body. As his other arm moved to grab mine, I grinned and latched both arms onto his, pivoting and digging my foot in to toss the huntsman as far as I could. He sailed past several cages, before flipping and grasping the bars, halting his momentum.

"Interesting…perhaps this technique is the root of your unfounded confidence." I blinked, and the huntsman was nearly behind me.

"Let me give you a taste of reality." A full swing sliced into me before I could block, and I flew upwards. I coughed and righted myself, landing on the upper-level just as a bullet slammed into me, and I crashed against the other railing.

'Of course…everything is also a gun.' Other bullets flew past as I ran, but my speed had lowered from continued use of Burst straining my muscles. Pulling out my scroll, I just managed to glimpse the time before a bullet pierced the machinery. My hand blocked the shrapnel, and I cursed as the huntsman landed in front of me.

"How naïve, to believe you could walk in with a half-baked plan and without calling the police. Or fighting me without a weapon." I looked back for an instant, but that was opening enough for the huntsman to close in and nail my liver. I rose off the ground, then meteored back down as the huntsman's sword slammed into my midriff, finally shattering my Aura. I crashed onto a cage's roof, the impact dealing its full force without my Aura to cushion the damage.

'Almost there…' I dragged myself closer to the target. Coming to the two guards I'd knocked out, I crawled over them. A thump alerted me to the huntsman's presence, before I was dragged back and hauled off the ground, held by my throat in the air.

"It's a shame this location is compromised, likely all of Wind Path is, but there are other ventures," the huntsman spoke clinically. "Before I depart however, I do intend to repay you for that setback."

Closing my eyes, I sought the dregs of my Aura but forwent defense, as bright lights shined through the room's windows, gaining the huntsman's attention.

"This is the Wind Path Police! Lay down your arms and surrender, or we will respond accordingly!"

'That's Ren safe…' I grinned, gripping the huntsman's arm with my right hand as he gazed back in confusion and a hint of fear. "That's one thing you're wrong about…"

Channeling the full remainder of my Aura, I stabbed the huntsman's arm with the knife I'd grabbed off the unconscious guard, two Auras flaring. The huntsman's Aura far outstripped mine, but a direct Aura-strengthened and Aura-reinforced blow still drained a chunk off his, along with delivering the pain of being stabbed. With a sharp yelp, the huntsman's fingers spasmed and dropped me. I immediately dashed towards the exit as fast as I could without Aura. '…and that's another.'

BANG

The bullet's forward momentum carried me just shy of the doorway, but I collapsed as blood pooled beneath me, heedless of my left arm against the wound.

'GET…UP…' I coughed and dragged myself forward, limbs unnaturally limp. Then a weight on my neck stopped my progress altogether.

"I aimed for your head," the huntsman wasn't soft anymore, his tone now closer to ground glass. "but the pain interfered. That just means you get one more bullet."

I struggled through blood loss and air deprivation as the weapon's gun barrel pressed hard into my skull. 'Not…done yet…need to see…them safe!' I gurgled a weak roar in defiance.

"**GET AWAY FROM HIM!**"

CRACK

The weight on my neck ceased as the huntsman flew off to the side and inside one of the cages. Turning my neck, I caught sight of Sun and the dog-eared faunus standing over me, Sun wielding a staff that he'd just whipped the huntsman with. Meanwhile, the other faunus laid cover fire with two high-caliber guns that he obtained from somewhere. The huntsman was grounded while fending off sustained fire using his sword within the cage's confines.

"Hang on, Kouzai." Sun slammed his staff into the ground and closed his eyes, a golden glow enveloping his body. Before my eyes, a golden copy of Sun appeared and strode towards the cage.

'Via Sun…so he's got it already…' The copy grabbed the cage door and slammed it shut as the real Sun hauled me up.

"C'mon, we're leaving _now_." As Sun and the other faunus sprinted away, I saw the huntsman lunge and stab Sun's copy. As it began dissolving, it held the cage doors shut with one hand and released something in the other. A round, pink object.

My eyes shot open. This seemed familiar… "Faster! We're not far enough!" I hissed.

"Are you kidding me? We're already at the doorw-"

BOOOOMMMM!

The wave of heat, wind, and pink dust billowed outward and washed over us, propelling us through the corridor outside of the room. All three of us landed on our stomachs, though Sun and the other faunus were up almost immediately, grabbing my arms and dragging me along slung over their shoulders.

"Brothers, that little girl _does not_ play around." The other faunus wheezed, and closer inspection revealed similar marks from what Sun had sustained.

"Alright, what's the plan? Kouzai? Other guy?" Sun asked

"I told you, my name's Perry. We were cell neighbors!"

"I spent most of that time getting _beaten_, if you'll remember," Sun shot back. "Anyways, Kouzai, Nora said on her way out that her and Ren are safe. What should we do?"

"Get out…too many questions…if found…" I forced out, vision getting hazy.

"They'll have a ton of questions for you three too," Perry responded. Sun was about to protest, but there wasn't time.

"Was expected…to be found…Sun, go…" I gritted out. We were nearing an entrance, as the flashing lights and barked orders became clearer. I stood up, no small effort on my part, and slowly dragged my arms off their shoulders. Staggering to a wall, I leaned my right side against it and waved them off, too sluggish to speak.

With a regretful look, Sun and Perry departed, and I turned towards the entrance. Forcing one foot in front of the other, I leaned heavily on the wall to remain upright. After what felt like hours, I shoved my weight against the door and sank to my knees, gazing at the fleet of cars and cops.

"Finally…nap time…"

… … …

I had the craziest dream. I dreamt of being put into the world of Remnant, before canon, in a younger body. I dreamt of befriending a young Nora and Ren, and training alongside them. I dreamt of meeting a bunch of crazy people, including Sun. I dreamt of saving Sun and getting shot.

But that was all my imagination. I was in New York, a college grad going into graduate school. I was nursing a full-body ache after pushing myself too hard in the gym again. I was resting in my soft bed before…my bed wasn't soft. I opened my eyes, groaned, then nearly choked from the sandpaper-dry tongue.

"KOUZ-"

"NORA, no. He's been shot and needs to _not_ have every bone and muscle stressed." A glass appeared by my head, and excruciatingly slowly, I raised myself upright.

The glass was held by Lie Ren, while his other blocked Nora Valkyrie.

"…Kouzai? Are you okay? Why're you crying?"

I couldn't respond; I'd reveal all my secrets if I opened my mouth. After a gruesome ten seconds of furious blinking and man-sniffles, I wrenched my calm face back on as best I could.

"Just a really good dream that turned out to have been a dream," I responded sadly. Ren and Nora nodded, eyes showing they needed no further explanation.

"The police have waited outside as protection, so they likely heard the commotion," Ren warned. "You can tell them the truth, save for anything on Preto. Nora and I already gave them such when asked earlier."

Before he could add anymore, there was a soft knock, and after a few polite seconds, it opened as a hulking uniformed man entered.

"I hope I'm not intruding on a private moment," the man offered apologetically. "As for interrupting your recovery, I will do my best to keep this brief. George Jarrah, Wind Path Chief of Police."

'…Welp, it was a good run. Guess I can cross getting arrested off my bucket list.' I shook the man's proffered hand gingerly, both from various aches and because his bowling ball-sized hands could likely crush mine.

"I'm glad to see the worst hasn't occurred. I heard you gave my officers quite a scare after stumbling outside covered in blood." Jarrah laughed when Nora muttered, "Not just them."

"Now that you've awoken, I ask for your account of the previous two days, beginning with your involvement with this case." The chief's posture and tone were friendly, but his eyes made it clear that I was far too involved in events not to provide my perspective. Swallowing down some water, I began to speak. After around ten minutes, I finished, and leaned back as Jarrah digested everything.

"So distracting the Cleansers by slashing their tires was a feint?" The chief asked.

"Not quite. Disabling their vehicles to prevent escape was crucial to the plan, otherwise the lives of the faunus and others could've been at risk. As for diverting their attention, splitting their forces and remaining out of sight was the only way we could last for ten minutes, around when your officers would arrive," I explained.

"Yes, that was quite an interesting call…"

… … …

"_Hello, this is the Wind Path Police…Department…are those gunshots?"_

"_Yes, I'm right outside a warehouse in the industrial district. There are men with guns and knives shooting everywhere, shouting about 'animals' and 'merchandise'!"_

"_Sir, please get to a safe location and remain on the line, we have response teams on the way."_

"_Oh dust, one of my friends is fighting them! I have to help!"_

"_Sir, WAIT-"_

… … …

"Hmm…I see. How did you find their hideout within a day? Wind Path is sizeable, and a search with just two people should not have yielded any timely results."

"It came to me yesterday…" I began.

… … …

"_Kouzai, you shouldn't even be out of bed yet, let along walking and rifling through our bags," Ren commented, exasperated by two people's worth of crazy antics._

"_Ok first, there's no force on Remnant that would stop me from going to the bathroom myself," I replied. "and seco-scratch that, I found it!"_

"_Found what? OOH, a card, what's it do? What's it do?" Nora inspected the card._

"_This," I smiled, "will let us find the Cleansers. It's one of their access cards."_

_At their confused looks, I elaborated. "The trafficker who blindsided me got mouthy and pulled one of these out. I noticed afterwards that Sun was looking back and forth between it and me and trying to shout something. Earlier, I realized that he was tracked down because he had two of their cards. I'm guessing they took their wallets back while kidnapping Sun, but didn't bother checking if they were inside. So I went looking, and now, we have an in to wherever they're holed up."_

_Nora smiled with far too many sharp teeth, while Ren's eyes narrowed. "How so?"_

_I flipped the card over, showing the small clear edge on the card's outer strip. Pointing the card towards the industrial district, the edge lit up dull red. "It's a locator, likely locked towards the building. This should lead you both to their base."_

"_IT'S A SUPER SPY TRACKER CARD?! Oh, gimmegimmegimme…"_

… … …

"Huh, clever," Jarrah admitted. "Or just stupid of the Cleansers."

"Leaning more towards the second." I affixed a serious look on my face. Well, more serious. "I had one of my own if you're willing; have your officers discovered who their buyers are? The Cleansers were well-outfitted, and given our participation some closure would be good."

"Closure, sure," the chief scoffed. "It'll likely in the papers soon anyways. The suspects gave up the buyers easily. Turns out their biggest customers were dust mining corporations."

"But ironically, the SDC wasn't one of them." Jarrah added, drawing puzzled looks from Nora, Ren and I. "Turns out, with the White Fang's militant rise and focus on the SDC, other companies saw their chance to cut their way to the top. There was the sad sentiment that such atrocities wouldn't be noticed if the victims were faunus. The idea was to work them like slaves to drive labor costs far down and profits up, all for a one-time purchase. The SDC actually decried the concept when accused of such practices; though likely Jacques Schnee saw the idea as unsustainable, which is right, rather than a moral affront, which is wrong. Still, you helped dismantle a trafficking ring, save hundreds of faunus, and take down some ethically bankrupt and soon-to-be actually bankrupt businessmen."

We shared a chuckle, but Jarrah sighed, smile slowly becoming a thin line. "So it's a shame I have to get to this next part."

Drawing up to his full height, Ren, Nora and I exchanged nervous glances. "Your situation is quite complicated. On one hand, you performed a great service for Anima and Remnant as a whole. On the other however, your list of criminal and civil offenses is staggering, including assault and battery, trespassing, destruction of property, obstruction of justice, and others. On a third hand, you three are just teenagers, and barely at that, so the legal ramifications are a headache anyways."

As one, we all sagged under the weight of possible imprisonment, or at least massive fines. Then the chief coughed and straightened up. "Fortunately, I have a solution. Doubtless, your names will likely be known by Remnant over for taking down an inter-kingdom trafficking ring, and at such a young age. However, such accolades must also come an appropriate punishment, as you are unqualified individuals who had no right to act as you did. That said, such events shall only come occur _if_ you three were actually involved."

We looked at him with confusion, then slow realization. 'No…he's not suggesting…'

"If Anima and Remnant are told that the Wind Path authorities caught the traffickers, such actions are within our occupational right. However, this means that your involvement will be unnoticed by the public. Is that a satisfactory arrangement?" Our jaws dropped without preamble.

"We accept your kind offer," I stated, looking at Nora and Ren and knowing that I spoke for them as well. Jarrah nodded, then bowed.

"Again, thank you on behalf of the citizens of Wind Path, Anima, and Remnant as a whole for your courage. Please, enjoy your recovery and the remainder of your time in Wind Path." After the chief exited the room, all three of us sighed in relief.

"Oh gods, I thought we were jail-bound." I wheezed, joined by Ren's nervous smile.

"Jail would have nothing on us! We'd be the toughest gang in prison, and all would fear the Three Huntsmen!" Nora happily espoused. Meanwhile, I sighed in sweet relief. "Alright, with that taken care of, let's just sit back and wait for-"

A knock on the door cut me off. 'Guess the chief had something else.' "Come in!"

The door turned, but instead of Jarrah, a wiry man in pastel yellow and cream entered. "Pardon me. Is this the room for Kouzai…huh, I don't believe we have a last name recorded."

'Yeah, I need to fix that soon.' I cleared my throat. "That would be me. Who do I have the pleasure of speaking to?"

"Oh, how rude of me. Yes, I am Bo Rosoku. Oh, and this must be Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie. This simplifies things immensely." The man reached into his back pocket. "Ah, here we are. I am a recruiter for Sanctum Academy, and _these_, are offer letters from the headmaster at Sanctum."

Wordlessly, we took the folded papers, and read through them. Then read them again while Nora was still reading hers.

"You want…to recruit us?" I asked, flabbergasted at the turn of events.

"My employer certainly does," Rosoku confirmed. "Although we have received notice that your deeds will go unnoticed by the public, such service still caught the ear of our staff at Sanctum. For your sheer bravery, ingenious plans and prodigious skills, we would be honored to count you as students come the springtime."

Ren and Nora still had their eyes glued to the paper, so I took the reins and replied, "Thank you for the information. I believe we require some time to process this."

"Certainly, you all must still be physically and mentally exhausted. Fear not, I am Wind Path's recruiting representative, so feel free to see me directly or contact me by scroll at any time. Both are provided in the letters. Rest well then." Tipping his hat, he made his exit.

I let out a looong breath and laid down, pillow over my face. "Hohkay, that was a thing. let's just-"

"Knock knock," The door opened, and Preto walked in. "Guess who's here."

"UUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHH," thankfully the pillow muffled most of the sound, or I'd have nurses swarming.

"…well that was quite rude." Preto remarked. "And I had come in person to deliver vital news."

"If we won the bet, just leave the winnings on my pillow. If we lost, a pillow's already on my face; just finish the job." I was exhausted from the chain of visits, despite having done nothing but lay in bed. Preto chuckled darkly, and strangely enough so did Nora and Ren.

"Very well, if you insist," Preto caved, and there was silence. Then a suffocating weight bore down on my face as I thrashed.

Pushing the pillow off my face, I sat up and gasped. "What the Sam Hill? I thought we-" I stopped and gazed down at my lap, where atop the pillow was a sizeable bulging pouch.

"Congratulations. Pyrrha Nikos won." Preto was visibly curious. "It's one of the only times such a dark horse bet has prevailed against such impossible odds. Well, where the individual betting appears mentally sound. So how did you know?"

'Really, we're doing this now? On the heels of two other bombshells?' I took a deep breath, and let whatever was churning in the bullshit machine come out. "I've seen her fight before, and she looked so superior, so in control that when I heard she'd entered the tournament, I knew she would win."

No word I'd said was a lie, and I channeled that thought to project confidence. Preto nodded. "So secret knowledge, and a gut instinct. Rare and rarer, but not unheard of. And definitely sought after."

I froze. "I'm sorry?" From Preto's position at my bedside, neither Ren nor Nora could see his front, which seemed to be his intent as he pulled up his left sleeve.

"The Miss sends her regards, and thanks you for your initiative in handling the Cleansers." Preto's tone was casual, but my eyes were glued to the spider-and-web tattoo on his forearm.

"I actually suggested covering your action to Jarrah as a personal favor. For my amusement." Preto added. "As for the professional favor, my door and the Miss 'are always open should you require an audience."

Readjusting his suit, he extended his hand, which I faintly took as we shook for whatever reason.

"Pleasure doing business with you." Preto was all teeth now, and he looked like he was holding back a laugh. "See you around."

Waving, Preto strolled out of the room without another word. After the door closed, Ren and Nora turned back to me, but I was already fluffing my pillow.

"Kouzai, what did Preto mean when-"

"Nope," I responded, placing the lien on the nightstand.

"But Kouzai, we should discuss-"

"Nope." I laid down and rolled up my blankets.

"Are you on a broken loop and can only respond with nope?"

"Nope."

"…Do you wanna sleep and catch up again tomorrow then?"

"Eeyup."

… … …

"Dust, it feels good to be out of bed. I'm never getting hospitalized again."

"Considering that your record of fights is only narrowly in favor of not becoming bedridden, I do not have the same confidence."

"Aww, who cares? We're getting WEAPONS! Bomb-Hammer, here I come!" We were nearing Weylin's again. During my recovery time, short as it was thanks to my Aura, Ren, Nora, and I brainstormed ideas for our weapons. Naturally, I had much to suggest, and concepts for bladed pistols and a grenade-launching warhammer came into being. However, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

I had no damn idea what _my_ weapon should be. Thanks to my escrima background, I was comfortable dual-wielding, but that could mean two of the same weapon or two different ones. And the variety was staggering. I was partial to swords for their cutting power and range, but after getting shot without Aura, I was _very_ partial to something that could block bullets, at least until I could dodge or deflect them. As for attachments, better to master one form of combat than to be a novice at four.

"Sup, losers?" a jovial voice called out. Sun lounged outside Weylin's home, healed and leaning against a familiar staff made up of Protector and Conqueror.

"You could've gone in first, you know," I pointed out, only for Sun to laugh and clutch his abs.

"And deal with Weylin the Smith on my own? Fat chance, Perry told me stories before he left." We all chuckled, though my mind was at work. It was a shock to discover Perry was actually a canon character, one with glasses and more than enough reason to hate humans. Now that he was traveling to Vale, I could only pray our rescue was enough to dissuade him from joining the White Fang.

"Well, we're here now, so let's get this show on the ROAD!" Nora shoved the door open, the bang rattling the metal on the walls. And there, scooping great handfuls of rings into a large container, was Weylin.

"About time," Weylin grunted, setting aside the container and wheeling away to make space. As we filed in, he wheeled up and glanced up and down at each of us. A nod for Ren, a smile for Nora, a clap on the shoulder for Sun, and…

"Heard you got your ass kicked," Weylin snorted, and to my chagrin the others joined in.

"Who the frack told you that?" I demanded. The newspapers claimed the police had brought down the ring after all.

"I was visited by little Jarrah while you were recovering," Weylin responded, and we all shared baffled mouthings of 'little?' "He gave as best a stern talking to as someone terrified of me could, said I nearly led you three to your deaths. I told him you'd likely have gone ahead anyways, and would've done something even crazier."

"Guilty," I muttered, before clearing my throat. "We have designs to present-"

"And lien to spend!" Sun exclaimed, holding his own respectable pouch. I glared as he added, "What?"

"I don't recall promising a weapon for you, boy," Weylin growled, rolling up to Sun. "You think you can stroll in here, carrying a stack of lien and one of my 'works', and you think I'll bypass tradition for you?"

Sun very quickly quailed down to Weylin's height, but bit his lip and twisted the staff for a better grip before looking Weylin straight-on. "Yes."

"…Alright then. Step on up!" We all damn near-tripped on flat ground, trying to skewer Weylin with glares alone.

"That's it?!" I shouted. "I nearly went through a pagan blood ritual to get you to agree, and he zips to the front of the line? Literally?"

"Well, yeah," Weylin replied, confused. "If you three vouch for him, then it's fine. Unless he's not fine, in which case I'll refuse him."

'So pissed…anger, nowhere to go…' I felt my blood pressure rise, despite the fact that he was _right_, before I sighed. "Yeah, yeah."

As Sun walked into the back with Weylin, I looked at the walls of incomplete works, trying to find inspiration. Swords. Shields. Lances. Armors.

"Lazy-bones! You're next!" Sun flew from the back like he'd been punted, improbable as that was, while Ren rolled his eyes and glided past him.

"So, what did you come up with for a weapon?" I asked for the sake of it.

"I was thinking of some shotgun-nunchucks, that can form a staff, like this one here!" Sun held up the staff while Nora was muttering.

"Gun-nunchucks…GUNCHUCKS!" Nora shouted, grasping Sun by the shirt collar and shaking him. "THOSE SOUND AMAZING!"

"Uhh YEAH looking FOR-WARD to TRYING them OUT. Uhh-UHH KouZAI little HELP!"

'A thankless job…' "Yeah, they sound cool, but your mecha-shift weapon sounds _waaay_ better, Nora." Nora immediately stopped, then brought her hand to her chin, dropping Sun in the process.

"Hmm, you're right…" Nora mused over Sun's groans. "I am indeed the queen of awesome weapons, but you can be my loyal monk follower! You should be grateful for such an esteemed position."

"I'm grateful for many things right now, mostly solid ground," Sun groaned, pushing himself to his feet. "Anyways, I also asked Weylin why these steel rods act as weird as they do."

"You mean how they're two separate parts, but are inseparable unless Aura-reinforcing each?" I asked. "Because that took some getting used to."

"Yeah. Weylin told me it was a mistake from the heating process. Since he infuses Gravity Dust to make the metals super-compact, instead of demagnetizing the metal he actually ended up super-magnetizing it."

"So they're bound by gravity and magnetism? Sounds like nothing's getting…through that…" A lightbulb went off in my head.

"Little Miss Bomb-it! You're next!" Weylin called.

"Coming, grandpa!" Nora skipped away as Sun gaped. I just shrugged.

"I'm not your grandpa, whelp! Now let's see what weapon of mass pain you've cooked up." Weylin sounded oddly excited for his not-granddaughter's design, as Ren appeared. He got about three-and-a-half steps before I stuck my hands out.

"Ren! Paper and pen, stat!" I exclaimed. Without blinking, Ren reached behind him and handed me the requisite items as Sun gawked.

"Where were you keeping that? You're wearing skinny pants and your tailcoat has no pockets!" Sun circled Ren while I drew a rough sketch.

"When you have Nora demanding various random items at all times of day, you learn to be efficient in carrying them," Ren offered, though Sun's face conveyed that he'd explained nothing.

I must've been sketching for minutes, but it felt like no time had passed before Weylin shouted, "Crazy-boy! Get in here!"

"How am I considered crazy when Nora _and_ Sun are around?" I half-whined as Nora came out and I walked down the hall, into a dimly lit room devoid of all furniture but a chair in the center. Tables lined the walls, as Weylin sat in his wheelchair next to the regular chair.

"Hop on the seat brat, I haven't got all day," Weylin growled, and I sat, only for Weylin ripped my sketches out of my hands. Shouts of protest were ignored.

"Hmm, rudimentary. Very basic, but…you _want_ that flaw in there?" Weylin asked as I formulated the conceptual description in my head.

"Yessir. I want the weapon to be super-magnetized like those steel rods were. That way, it'll be one weapon even with Aura reinforcement unless you concentrate on separating the two pieces with Aura."

"Wasn't steel…" Weylin muttered, though I assumed he meant the metal was a cruder iron. "You do realize those rods weren't even supposed to be a weapon, right? Just a failed experiment."

"It's not failure if it succeeds in something else, right?" I replied, and a spark of challenge shined in his eyes.

"Hmph, brat." Weylin placed the papers on a table. "Alright, shut those eyes."

Closing them, his voice boomed. "Alright, imagine your weapon. How broad is it?"

"Enough to cover the torso," I answered.

"How long are we talking?"

"Down to my ankles."

"Straight-edge, curved, or convex?"

Back and forth the questions and answers came and went. After a few more minutes, Weylin barked, "Alright, stand up, eyes closed still."

I slid off the chair and waited.

"Alright, open 'em up."

My eyes opened, and immediately fell on Weylin. Or more accurately, the long sheet of paper suspended from his hand draped towards the ground. There, in front of my eyes was the exact weapon I'd imagined.

"Guess I still got it," Weylin chuckled, and I realized my jaw had dropped. "Alright, that's the last of 'em. I've already told the rest, give me two weeks, and be sure when I call for any of 'em that they come. They need to be present during the process to understand the maintenance."

"How'd it go?" Sun asked, slapping me on the back as I returned to the storefront.

"You'll see in two weeks. Or maybe less, depending on when he gets to mine," I replied, disregarding Sun's groans and Nora's whines.

"In any case, we have two weeks our weapons are completed." Ren noted. "What shall we do during that time?"

"I wouldn't say no to new threads," Sun joked. "Travelling across Remnant and getting beaten by bloodthirsty traffickers tends to do a number on them."

"I suppose if we're going to be huntsmen-in-training, we should look the part," I conceded. Before I could add anything else, Nora jumped, flipped, and landed on Ren's shoulders.

"Do you know what this means?"

"Nora, my shoulders…"

"SHOPPING TRIP!"

… … …

"Are we sure about this?"

"Kouzai, you ask that nearly every week, sometimes multiple times a week."

"You've been with Nora for nearly five years. Tell me you don't confirmation of Nora's plans before they happen."

"HEY!"

"…Fair. Cruel, but fair."

"You three are basket-cases, aren't you? And now I'm apparently friends for life."

"Welcome to the club, Sun. Your sanity will inevitably fall."

Sun, Ren, Nora and I sat in Rosoko's office, awaiting his appearance. While waiting, I took the chance to gaze upon the outfits my companions had selected.

Ren's was the closest to canon, and only marginally different from his attire of previous years. An iconic green tailcoat lacking the black lines covered the black thermal shirt underneath. As always, his white pants and black shoes were present.

Nora's clothes were significantly revamped compared to Ren's, having swapped out her white shirt to a white sleeveless thermal top and her black jacket to a black vest cut off at her forearms. Her pink skirt, pink shoes and fingerless gloves remained, albeit in more durable variations.

Sun looked different as well, given that all his clothes were replaced with new ones. Shockingly, however, his jeans were unrolled, and his tattered white shirt was replaced by a fitting white button-up _with the buttons actually in use_. The shirt's sleeves were tucked into his signature red bracers to complete the look.

As for me, I thought it best not to deviate from the classics, and stuck with the black thermal Henley and dark cargo pants that referenced a certain fictional treasure hunter. I even had reinforced pouches on my belt for my journals, phone, and likely whatever other supplies became necessary.

My focus deviated as Rosoko entered the room. "I apologize for my tardiness; I was queueing up possible paperwork resulting from this meeting. So, I take it your recovery time allowed you all to come to a decision regarding Sanctum Academy?"

This was the turning point, where I either interpreted the information right or potentially royally screwed Nora and Ren's canon path. Glancing over, both nodded with smiles on their faces, and I bit back one of my own. 'Even if it's not the same, I'll work my ass off to get them to Beacon.'

"We have, sir. And I speak for Nora, Ren and myself when I say that after debating Sanctum's generous offer, we determined it was in our best interests to decline. Although your offer is kind, we three seek to forge our own path to becoming Huntsmen, by directly aiding and serving the people of Anima, and hopefully Remnant itself. Although Sanctum's curriculum is beneficial and extensive, ultimately it does not suit our ideals."

For a good half-minute, only the barest of facial expressions hinting at Rosoko's thoughts. Finally, he nodded slowly. "There have always been exemplary individuals who attended Huntsmen academies without attending combat schools. There are even stories about those who forwent attending academies altogether and still passed the license exam. Still, biased as I am, I must caution the difficulty of the path ahead. But you all seem up to the task."

"Yes _they_ do," Sun remarked, slinging his arm around Rosoko. "However, you've still got one candidate throwing his hat in the ring!"

Rosoko smiled, then looked back to Nora, Ren and I. "Are you sure you wouldn't prefer to travel with your companions? Even if I lose a recruit, I would be remiss to tear a boy away from his friends."

"Don't sweat it, we've talked it over and made our peace." Sun smiled and looked back at us, as we nodded back. "I've been on the move for a long while now, so settling down just for a little bit sounds perfect. Besides, we're still in the same kingdom, so visiting each other won't be difficult."

"Buuuut," Sun added, smirking at us, "if I happen to pick up some amazing skills and end up surpassing you three, don't come crying to me now."

"Okay, first, weakest person among the four of us. It won't be very difficult to 'surpass' me," I noted dryly. "And second, we still saved you and your abs."

"Yessir, that's a debt that I'll be paying back, with interest. Hopefully without needing to save your life again, of course." Smooth in words was Sun Wukong.

"Well, I suppose with no further business required with you three, you are free to leave. Sun, if you could stay a moment, we can initiate the paperwork required and make preparations for transport of you and any possessions to Argus in the coming months. And again, my office isn't only open for business purposes."

"We'll keep that in mind. Thank you again," I stated, as Nora, Ren and I left Sun to begin his new start.

… … …

Forging a weapon, as it turns out, was an extremely complex process. Creating a Huntsmen-caliber one? Ridiculously moreso. I was simultaneously unsurprised that Yang's Ember Celica was tame for a mecha-shift weapon, and bamboozled at the idea that Ruby must've had the equivalent of a doctorate in engineering to build Crescent Rose herself. Thankfully, however, Mistral's philosophy on Huntsmen weapons was not the same as other kingdoms, Vale included.

Instead of creating our own weapons from scratch and choosing each piece involved, the trend in Mistral was to be shadow the blacksmith in the creation process, gaining the knowledge required for maintenance, thankfully without the need for me to slice or scald myself in my clumsiness. Even better, thanks to Weylin's newfound magnetism 'technique', my weapon needed no mecha-shift properties. However, this didn't necessarily mean the process was an easy one.

"_Dust_, I've had more knowledge crammed into my head than the last year's worth of learning," I groaned, stumbling out of the back. Resting on the cleaned countertops and floors of the storefront were my friends, all with their weapons.

'Yeah, it was painful learning how to make gunchucks, but it'll be worth it." Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang were connected together to form the fabled staff, which Sun had slung across his shoulders like he'd done so many times in canon. Only now did I realize that its intricate design and mecha-shift components set it apart from the weapons used by the Vacuo students in canon. 'Another kingdom-specific philosophy, perhaps.'

"Better to learn about our weapons from a master now, than to be caught on the back foot later." Ren's hands held Stormflower, though with a slight modification. After I commented on his superior blade skills, he took it to heart and had Weylin include the ability to detach the collapsible blades, or alternatively utilize them as ballistic knives.

"Besides, it wasn't that hard to understand. Kinda easy, actually," Nora breezed, holding Magnhild above her head like she was calling down lightning. Speaking of which, I was tempted to suggest a modification for an electrical charge to both Magnhild and her, but without her Semblance being discovered yet, that'd be both lethal and suspicious.

A slight scraping noise and the sound of rusty wheels interrupted my thoughts. Then silence.

"Brat, heads up!" A large and sharp projectile rocketed towards my face. Swaying to the side, I recognized the shape and reached out, grasping the handle as I let momentum spin me around before burying the tip into the wooden floor. And there, in my hands, was my weapon.

A gleaming, silver greatsword, double-edged with blade four feet in length and about as wide as my torso. A faint line trailed down the center and passed the long handguard, ending where two black-leather handles laid side-by-side, their cumulative width one that I had to firmly grasp, but not to the point of straining them. Concentrating, I enveloped the blade with Aura, then covered the centerline. With a glint of silver Aura, the blade split into two single-edged longswords. Bringing both up in a neutral escrima stance, I saw Weylin wheel out of the back and leveled an exasperated look for nearly beheading me.

"Eh, your reflexes are good, you were fine," Weylin brushed off. "Anyways, I've already told the rest of 'em, but I used some Mistralian ore in the creation process. It's tougher than regular steel, nearly half as light, and gives off that silvery sheen an' gleam. Some smiths call it Lightsteel, but I use the olden term for it; Mithril."

I choked on air. 'Wait seriously? Mithril exists on Remnant?...actually, that doesn't surprise me nearly as much as it should anymore, considering everything else.'

"So, have you got a name for her yet? Or him, I don't judge," Weylin joked. I held both blades at eye level, noticing the light, silvery metal giving the blades a clear reflection. Then again, they were both reflections of each other.

"Well, I feel like it would be 'them', considering there's two blades," I replied. "Though I do have a name, quite fitting given their properties; Mirror's Edge."

Weylin nodded. "Catchy, but flashy enough to let others know you're still a brat. I suppose that's to be expected. Well, you've got your weapons, and I've got enough lien to last a while. If that's everything, then get going! You've got places to be and I've got places I don't wanna be."

As Sun casually saluted and Ren bowed, I went in for an ill-advised handshake, wincing as I felt the raw strength that could pulp my hand. "We'll let you know if we're ever in the area. Stay sane now." I got an extra-hard squeeze for that comment, and stepped back just in time as Nora nearly tackled Weylin off his wheelchair in a hug.

"See you later, crazy grandpa!" Nora cheerfully exclaimed. Weylin sighed, then tentatively brought his massive arms around to pat Nora's back.

"Take care, whelp. I'm still not your grandfather."

… … …

"Alright, I can see Yozakura up ahead."

"FINALLY! After everything, I wanna go back to my semi-comfortable bed after sleeping rough."

"It is good that we have returned. Our deadline of returning before the flower viewings was approaching."

Nora, Ren and I were re-invigorated by the sight. With Sun's departure to Argus, and our travels back to the village, some familiar faces wouldn't hurt.

"I feel like there's an issue we neglected, however," Ren considered, brow furrowed in thought.

"What's left to settle? We got new weapons, won a buttload of lien, got new clothes, shut down a trafficking ring, made new friends, Kouzai got beat up, made new enemies-"

"No need to point out how fragile I still am compared to both of you," I interrupted dryly. "I don't need Ms. Fujiko on my case anymore than I already do."

Ren stiffened. "OH…oh dear….I just remembered what the remaining issue is…"

"Great, the suspense was killing me," I replied. "Just tell me it's not something that we were supposed-"

"_Well…what have we here? Three brave teenagers who fought an international trafficking ring, one of whom was hospitalized TWICE. At least he made sure to call me, so that I didn't find out from the POLICE or HOSPITAL…_"

The voice _should not_ have carried as far as it did, nor should terror have gripped our hearts fiercer than when we faced the traffickers.

"Ren, am I the only one seeing those butterflies around her?" I panic-whispered.

"They migrate annually for the flower viewing, but I can see how such a sight is terrifying, considering that I am experiencing it as well." Ren's nonchalant tone contrasted with his nervous stance, ready to deploy Stormflower from his sleeves.

Nora just whimpered.

"_My dear wards…_" Ms. Fujiko hiss-pered as she approached, the natural phenomenon of blue butterflies floating around her failing to detract from her tranquil fury whatsoever. A newspaper that I suspect headlined recent events was rolled to steel-density. "_Welcome home…_"

**TIME REMAINING UNTIL START OF CANON: 4 YEARS**

… … …

… … …

"How are you doing back there, kid?"

"For my first ever bullhead ride, pretty good, sir." Sun leaned back in his seat, staring out the window at the passing scenery below.

So many firsts recently; first bullhead ride, first actual weapon, first time having that much lien, first time spending so much, first time being kidnapped, and despite the previous one, first time being invited anywhere, and to a combat training school of all things. So many of them, for better or worse, were because of his friends Nora, Ren and Kouzai.

He was sad at not accompanying them on their travels, at least for the near future, but they had a home already, and he'd left his for the purpose of gaining the skills necessary to strike out into the world.

"Besides, I'm sure I'll see them again soon," Sun mused, tucking his hands behind his head. "Though maybe I should dial it back on the petty theft and whatnot. I'm at a combat school now, and even if I wasn't, stealing almost got me killed last time. With some lien and smart decisions, I can get a fresh start on the straight-and-narrow. Or relatively."

"Alright, we're coming up on Argus, so make sure you're buckled in," the pilot called as the bullhead began descending. In the distance, Sun could make out a beautiful walled city, set between two mountains against the ocean.

"This is my home now…" Sun remarked in awe.

"I hope you packed heavy, 'cause Argus can get chilly this time of year," the pilot added, and Sun noticed the snow patches on the ground below. As the bullhead landed and the doors began lowering, a gust of brisk air rushed into the ship.

Sun looked down at his one suitcase of breezy, airy clothes. "Oops…"

… … …

**A/N: And that's Year 1. Quite a ride, but I've still got plenty up my sleeve for the rest of the arc. I hope my decision to stay out of combat school, along with Nora and Ren, isn't out of left field. Considering what canon has told us about Nora and Ren, and what it hasn't verified concerning interactions with other characters, I believed that this was the most likely result. Plus, it allows a lot more to be explored compared to attendance at Sanctum or another school.**

**As for my injection of certain other elements, I noticed that there are actual variations in students' weapons across the kingdoms, so I came up with my own little explanation for why. As for something like Mithril, I thought it'd be a fun addition to a world that has Dust, magic, Aura, semblances, Grimm and gods. I don't intend on making the reference a one-off though, so stay tuned. Closing off this part of the arc is the omake. **

**OMAKE**

"Roman, the next time that I agree to help you dismantle a rival crime group, punch me in the face!" I yelled, ducking under a grunt's machete to slice his stomach and deplete his Aura. Twirling around, I slammed the blade's pommel into the grunt's head, and finished him off by stomping on his face.

"Why on Remnant would I do that?" Roman asked, bashing another thug with both ends of Melodic Cudgel, before hooking his legs out from under him and firing a blast of fire dust into his chest at point-blank range. "It's not everyday that I get free labor. Well, technically not free since you're freeloading."

"I'm thirteen, for dust's sake! How can I be freeloading!?" I hurled the downed grunt at another thug, then sliced from shoulder to opposite hip as he recovered.

"Exactly, you're _already_ thirteen; it's time for you to start cutting your teeth on poor souls and making a living." Roman aimed at another grunt and fired, only to receive a soft click. Sighing, he flipped the cane, fired the hook around the man's neck, then socked his teeth out when the grunt was pulled towards him. "And throw me a refill, I'm tearing through rounds."

"You'd think that suit of yours would have the space for ammo," I muttered, throwing Roman an extra clip to slot into Melodic Cudgel. "Fine. If you won't do it, I'll get Neo to punch me instead. You know she won't pass up the opportunity."

Before Roman could retort, a sound of shattering glass came from next to us as Neo reappeared, one hand bunched up in a bloodied and bruised crime boss, and the other holding a scroll out in my face. "I wouldn't pass up the opportunity, but that's implying that I need your permission to punch you in the face. Or that you could stop me."

"Hardy har, hilarious," I snarked while turning to Roman. "There's your crime boss. Let's go; the sooner you get what you need out of him, the sooner he's behind bars and we have less thugs to worry about."

Dashing into the alleyway, I looked for the getaway vehicle, but the backlot was devoid of familiar sights. "Roman, where's the freaking car?" I asked calmly as Roman sped out of the building, Neo on his heels.

"I thought Neo was taking care of it," he replied with a thumb at Neo. Unimpressed, Neo held up the crime boss she literally dragged along by his hair. "Err, I thought you were taking care of it?"

"Again, I'm _thirteen_!" 'Even if I do know how to drive, not that they know that yet.'

Roman winced. "Okay, fairer point this time. Hmm…how do you fancy your running skills?"

… … …

**A/N: Things don't look any better with Roman and Neo, huh? Guess that's to be expected. And these two are just too quirky for anything to go as planned, or for the plan to be anything normal.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 09/30/19**


	9. Chapter 6: The Best-laid Plans

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: What's up, everybody? Sorry again for last week's delay, trying my best to stick to a set time range for updates, but needs must occasionally. I'm glad to see people were still willing to get to it the next day, for those who live really far away. I'm thankful again for the support, so without further ado, here's the start of Year 2!**

**Chapter 6: The Best-laid Plans**

**Chapter Date: 09/30/19**

'Ye gods, I hate the rotation.'

Ren and Nora charged at me from opposite sides, Ren firing Stormflower while Nora triggered Magnhild's grenade explosion to propel herself forward for a swing.

'Crapcrapcrap…' "No headshots for me!" I shouted, swinging Mirror's Edge in its greatsword form. Both weapons collided as the shock ran down Nora's and my arms. Her strength and momentum overpowering mine, I used the force and pivoted, holding out Mirror's Edge to block Stormflower's bullets as I dashed towards Ren using Burst. Closing in, the gunfire against my blade ceased, and I split Mirror's Edge into its longsword forms as Ren and I stepped into close-quarters range. Taking an immediate step back, I launched into my perpetually striking ecrima form, creating a web of steel to box Ren in. As he gave ground and deflected my blades with his own, the low thrum of Magnhild approached. Disengaging, I spun both longswords at an angle like a propeller. One kept Ren at bay while the other met Magnhild before it reached the arc of its swing. Its superior weight and Nora's raw power still launched me back, and I quickly turned to swing down at Ren. Smiling, he diverted the swing with one of Stormflower's blades, and as he released the weapon from his right hand, he curled his fingers back and launched an Aura-infused palm forward.

'Well, damn.' The strike carried me back towards Nora, who wound Magnhild up and swung down at my torso, thankfully without discharging a grenade and with one of my blades between it and my chest. That being said, the ground still cracked under the force, and spittle flew from my mouth as my Aura shattered.

"Mother of...how long was that?" I wheezed, Magnhild still parked on my chest.

"Twenty seconds." Ren's answer was a painful reminder of how far I had to go.

"Hey, at least you blocked two swings from Magnhild and didn't get hit in the head! Or the legs, both would be bad," Nora mused.

"Nora…as someone who just got hit in the chest with a mitigated blow from Magnhild, I attest that getting hit anywhere would be bad," I snarked.

"Your improvement is steady, however," Ren said. "To last even twenty seconds against two opponents, both more experienced than you, is impressive."

"So if you fight a bunch of people, this time you can last long enough to call for help so we can bail you out!" Nora exclaimed proudly.

"…Nora, I believe he was looking for encouragement that he could win."

"OOHHHHHHH…well, he can totally fight like four thugs at a time."

"There's the ego-booster," I groaned, getting to my feet and connecting Mirror's Edge back to its greatsword form, placing the sword on the magnetic back holster strapped to my torso. Working out the kinks in my neck, I signaled a thumbs-up to Nora and Ren so we could head back. Although slightly slower with my Aura shattered, I remembered what life was like before Aura, so being low didn't bother me, especially considering how often it shattered.

The lion's share of the past year had been filled with even harder challenges compared to the first. For starters, with actual weapons our time spent training with them, a la sparring, increased. And thanks to the scare I'd given Nora and Ren from fighting the traffickers in Wind Path, our previous sparring schedule changed. Now the rotations included a _third_ daily fight for everyone, wherein two of us would fight the third. Six of the seven days cycled between unarmed and armed fights against multiple opponents, with the seventh being a rest day because _dust_, we needed it.

Physical conditioning had ramped up as well, with my abilities truly beginning to pass into superhuman levels. My muscle density had surpassed Ren's, giving me an edge in spars when it came to raw speed, strength and endurance. However, he was still leagues above me when it came to agility, skill and admittedly, flexibility. Seriously, the man was limber beyond anything else I'd encountered!

My Aura control had also thankfully sharpened, though Aura projections like Ren's were still beyond me. I made up for it by further developing Burst, lowering the strength factor in favor of a smoother, longer-lasting power-up.

All these kept me alive during our now-sanctioned excursions into Yozakura's woods. After the village elders heard of our actions in Wind Path, they were suddenly more receptive to the idea of our training in preparation for Huntsmen Academies. They even provided pseudo-missions requesting regular Grimm extermination outside the village, in exchange for some lien. It wasn't much, but the three of us steadily built up some sizeable reserves. When asked on whose idea it was, the elders were tight-lipped, but a framed letter in Ms. Fujiko's room from Chief Jarrah, thanking us for our actions gave some clues.

However, any unspoken approval for our tenacity _did not_ translate to her lessons. Class was still very much in session, and my already-learned knowledge in math and writing could only stave her off so much. Though my history, language and dust acumen quickly progressed, there was still too much to be taught. One scientific discovery had my attention however, one I should've known beforehand.

Remnant didn't have dinosaurs. Yes, given Remnant's canonical history and all of RoosterTeeth's background videos that should've been obvious, and it was. What wasn't immediately so were the implications of such a fact. Without dinosaurs or their equivalent, there was no such thing as fossil fuels, and therefore no gasoline or oil-based technology. Sure, lightning dust was a handy replacement for electricity, but it meant Remnant was essentially entirely powered by clean energy, among other things. Quite negligible when civilization was under the constant threat of extinction by Grimm, but it was important to take the small victories.

Additionally, as Ren and Nora trained with Stormflower and Magnhild's firearm functions, I discovered their ammunition was propelled by dust. Again, immediately obvious, but I meant that their ammunition was _entirely_ propelled by dust. As in, no gunpowder. Inspection of the village's guns and research online revealed a pervasive lack of gunpowder whatsoever.

The implications were staggering. Remnant had the same periodic elements as Earth, for sure. Some form of a periodic table also existed, albeit with different names for some of the elements. But the scientific field of chemistry had largely taken a backseat to studies in dust. When Nature's wrath neatly handled requirements for heat, electricity, water, energy, explosives and more, clearly other fields of study fell by the wayside.

But my knowledge of chemistry was first and foremost quite limited, and any advantages I could gain from such knowledge would have to wait, as Ren, Nora and I prepared for our vacation. It wasn't actually a vacation, more a mission involving travel to another distant city. Although an official journey, the break from classes and opportunity to travel once more definitely highlighted itself as a vacation, especially given our objectives and destination.

"Argus, here we come!" Nora exclaimed, pumping her fist in the air. "Beauutiful northern coastline…and plenty of Sanctum students to spar against!"

"Nora, we aren't leaving until tomorrow," Ren reminded her. "Furthermore, we will be traveling through mostly wilderness with some small villages along the way, and will likely be beset with Grimm."

"Yeah, but so long as we don't come across a Beringel or King Taijitu, we'll be just fine," I breezed. "And once we get there, we'll see Sun again. Can't wait to see what he's picked up at Sanctum. OW!"

"You just jinxed us again, I swear…," Nora grumbled.

… … …

"Remember, your mission is to request the installation of a CCT relay tower for Yozakura. We've already scheduled an appointment with CCT officials in Argus. I don't think I need to remind you such an addition would bring massive boosts to Yozaukra's community and tourism."

"You just did…OW!" I jerked to the side, away from Ms. Fujiko's iron hand. Seriously, the ability to make her chops hurt as much as they did through Aura had to be a semblance or magic! "You already know that I know the financial impact."

Ms. Fujiko and I shared a wry grin with each other. Chief among the Remnant-relevant knowledge from my years on Earth was the finance education I'd received in college. As a teenager with little lien to his name last year, I hadn't been in much of a position to utilize my degree. Now older, and quite a bit wealthier thanks to last year's bet, I could make use of my acumen to put Nora, Ren and I's lien to work. The investments I'd made on Remnant's stock market, along with conversations I'd had with some of the elders regarding budget policies and reform, would've looked downright eerie coming from a pre-teen with no supposed economic background. But a teenager with basic lessons on the subject and a penchant and passion for learning? Far less so.

One such suggestion I'd made was for Yozakura to lean into its natural attractions to boost its tourism and economy. The star of the show was the annual flower viewing festival, with the sakura trees coming into bloom. Likely limited to specific regions of Anima, they would be a sight to see for citizens of any other kingdom. And when you added the electric blue butterflies that migrated for the festival every year, the view was worth a million words, and hopefully a few lien as well. That was the selling point Yozakura was running with in our pitch to CCT officials.

"One day I'll figure out how you know so much on subjects that should be beyond your age. And don't give me another yarn on how you're some savant," Ms. Fujiko headed off my automatic retort. "We both already know Nora is one herself, and if you try to claim that I've been raising two in this village I'll get an inflated head."

"Aww, Mother Fujiko called me a genius!" Nora gushed bashfully, before a glare from Ms. Fujiko had her gulping silent.

"Genius in Grimm-smashing and dust, perhaps. In other _foundational_ subjects, _much less so_." Ms. Fujiko sighed and rubbed her temples, before turning to Ren. "I _would_ say they should follow your example, but you can be far too passive for your own good sometimes, little lotus."

"I like to think of it as being cautious," Ren replied amiably. "And I'm not aware of what I may be too passive in." Both Ms. Fujiko and I deadpanned. He lasted maybe five seconds under our combined stares before glancing at Nora, blushing, coughing, and looked pointedly away.

"Well, I shouldn't hold you three up any longer," Ms. Fujiko sighed. "The journey to Argus is long, longer than Wind Path, and there is an appointment to keep. Not to mention I expect you three back before the next festival, otherwise I'll make sure to _bury you in schoolwork_."

All three of us collectively paled, stiffly waved our goodbyes and pivoted before making our swift exit.

"Do you think she'll ever stop being intimidating?" Nora whispered, hoping that Ms. Fujiko couldn't still hear us.

"Probably not," I replied, thinking of a certain deputy headmistress. "But there are more intimidating people out there, I'm sure."

"Impossible…" Nora shuddered.

… … …

Our travels took us past Wind Path, though we stopped in the city to restock on supplies, as well as check in with Jarrah and Weylin. Weylin, as always, was unpredictable, and tossed a barrel of metal scraps at us after wheeling from the back. Liberal use of our weapons deflected the scrap, which Weylin took to mean our training was progressing well and our weapons were in fine shape. Jarrah, on the other hand, was far less physical, and offered us updates on the Cleansers case. Thankfully, the huntsman I'd "fought", now revealed to be named Slate, had been apprehended after Wind Path Authorities had swarmed the warehouse and found him under a cage's remains, covered in burns and pink dust. After further reminders to keep our involvement in the matter hidden, we continued on our journey. Having debated whether to visit Preto as well, I determined he was a busy man, and that visiting him might be considered using the "favor" he'd spoken of.

'Considering having an audience with Little Miss Malachite took Cinder tossing a bag of lien, having casually approached Preto last year was a remarkably ballsy move that I will _not_ be repeating. Dust, If we weren't kids that could've been dangerous.'

Along with human interactions, there was also quite a bit of Grimm interaction as well, involving sharp objects and lots of stabbing. Traversing forests had us battling numerous Beowolves, more than a few Ursai, Nevermore in all sizes and even a colorful encounter with a Manticore. Colorful due to how we dealt with it…

… … …

"Are we sure about this? Extreme heights and human and faunus tend not to mix well together," I inquired, shielded behind Mirror's Edge as I tanked another blast of fire from the Manticore.

"Definitely! I've been meaning to work on a landing strategy anyways," Nora breezed, peeking around the tree to fire a grenade as the Manticore veered.

I turned to Ren, standing in plain sight and using his semblance. "How about you? Fancy working on a landing strategy _right now_?"

"…I might require some assistance upon landing." With another blast, Nora dove away from the tree as the Manticore set it aflame, landing next to Ren as he proceeded to cloak all three of us in his semblance.

"Alright, fine. Have it your _own damn way_!" With Burst, I swung Mirror's Edge around three times, and on the third revolution Nora placed her feet on the blade and jumped. With my strength adding to Nora's, she soared high into the air and drew level with the Manticore. Carrying a payload dressed in green still using his semblance, this went unnoticed by the Manticore, who spewed more hellfire at me as I covered myself with Mirror's Edge. As her arc slowed, Nora twisted around and swung Magnhild upwards, boosting Ren to even higher altitudes. Now visible to the Manticore, the Grimm swung its head to her and readied another blast. With Ren cloaked high above, he spinned with his arms out and clutching Stormflower, turning into a bladed twister as he closed in on the Manticore, while I separated Mirror's Edge and threw one of the longswords upwards like a javelin. With the Grimm's attention on Nora, Stormflower and Mirror's Edge punctured the Manticore from two ends as it roared its death throes.

Meanwhile, Nora was already descending, and as she neared the ground I saw her manic smile. Pointing Magnhild downwards, she fired a grenade into the ground, the recoil slowing her momentum slightly. Plunging into the cloud of pink dust, there was a soft boom as the cloud dispersed, Nora in a three-point landing surrounded by clouds of pink dust.

"How was that?" Nora questioned, panting slightly from adrenaline. I readied my answer, but quickly diverted my attention as Ren plunged to Remnant with an increasingly louder, "gggguuuuuuyyYYYYYYSSSSSS!"

"Grab onto the sword!" I yelled, aiming my other longsword. As Ren grasped the other half of Mirror's Edge, I threw the second half at a tree nearby, my Aura ceasing to reinforce the blade as it left my hand. As the sword pierced the tree, its magnetic properties kicked in and its other half zipped towards it, Ren trailing behind like a streamer on a kite. Just before the swords joined back together, Ren let go and carved Stormflower around the tree trunk until safely disengaging onto the ground, then staggering and toppling to the ground. 'Yeah, I can see how that level of rotation would affect someone of his constitution.'

… … …

As we neared the walls of Argus, Nora's scroll rang.

"Seriously, it's like he's got a sixth sense about these things," I muttered, looking around to make sure he hadn't snuck up on us. 'Considering he's done it to Blake, Team RWBY and the White Fang, anything's possible.'

Shrugging, Nora answered the call, and a familiar smiling blonde faunus appeared on the screen. "Hey, looks like you guys have service again. I called a couple days back but I guess you were still out of range between the Wind Path and Argus towers. How was the walk up?"

"Grimm. Lots of Grimm," I summarized, Ren nodding along at my succinct answer.

"AAND we figured out some landing strategies! Or at least Ren and I did, Kouzai's still catching up," Nora added.

"Wow, that's a year or two ahead of the curve. Most everyone here spent the last year learning the basics, though some have gotten a solid handle on their style," Sun offered. "Well, except for Pyrrha Nikos. That girl is a machine, I swear. You heard that she won the regional tournament again?"

"How could I not?" I chuckled. Though there wasn't any betting this time, seeing Pyrrha tear through the tournament and watching her return as champion was a real treat. "How is it being in the same school and year as her?"

"Impossible. Getting a win off her is harder than me becoming an Atlesian general, and her perfect grades don't make conversation any easier," Sun grumbled as I frowned. 'Guess she's having trouble making friends already, especially since she's a repeat champion.'

I was about to suggest putting Pyrrha's status aside to Sun when some movement caught my eye. Towards the left, by the higher of the two mountains sandwiching Argus, two nondescript cars turned off the main road and started up the mountain. 'Huh, guess they're going for the scenery. The view would be nice up…there…'

As the vehicles ascended, I saw the landmark at the left mountain's peak, and Volume 6 came back to me as I grimaced. "Sun, we'll have to call you back. And we might be a bit late getting into the city."

"Sure, I don't have much going on. Do you have to make a stop somewhere or something?" Sun questioned.

I gestured towards the cars for Nora and Ren, then at the CCT relay tower at the mountain's summit. "Or something…"

… … …

"Perhaps they're merely going to take in the coastline," Ren reasoned.

"It is the higher of the two mountains," Nora added.

"Even so, there's a perfectly good mountain to the right without a CCT relay tower blocking the view," I countered. "That, and do you really think the Atlesian military just casually lets civilians within range just for photos and picnics?"

Nearing the peak, we heard the faint but unmistakable noise of gunshots, and we kicked it into high-but-stealthy gear. Sticking to the trees, we snuck up right by the cars. And there laid the grim sight. Men and women dressed in drab blacks, browns, greys and reds patrolled the CCT tower entrance. Up above, a couple more guards walked each level, and I was sure there were more out of view. Splayed on the ground were soldiers of the Atlesian military.

'Are you kidding me? Bandits? This is like five or six years early, and it's not even the main characters this time!' I gripped my face as I turned to Nora and Ren. "Ok, clearly they're not here to sightsee. What do we know?"

"There's eight within our sight, but I estimate upwards of ten present, given the size of their vehicles. All have some form of crude weapon, be it brass knuckles, guns, or swords," Ren recounted.

"Fantastic. So they're clearly here for something, but what?" I questioned, just as there was a sound of breaking glass, and a feminine shriek rang out. "Crap! No time to plan, we need to get to the control room, and fast! Stack up like we did with the Manticore."

Despite their apprehension at leaving me to fend for myself, they complied as I began spinning. "Here WE _GO_!" Once again, Nora and Ren streaked into the air, then Ren climbed even higher as they landed on different levels of the tower. Unlike the Manticore however, in broad daylight Ren's semblance wouldn't hide him, and shouts came from all around as bandits readied their weapons. Pre-empting their attack, I lunged towards the group of four by the tower's entrance and spun in a full-rotation swing. Three bandits dove away in time, but the fourth tried to stand his ground, rusty blade held out in a block. That bandit's Aura shattered as a wall of steel collided with his body, and I unceremoniously batted him into the tower's base, where he slumped down.

The other three bandits were not idle though, and two opened fire with bayoneted shotguns, while the third rushed to flank me. Holding Mirror's Edge out as cover, I tensed, then shot to the side with Burst, swinging one of the detached longswords and driving the bandit down to her knees. I had no sympathy as I spun and clocked her jaw with a roundhouse kick. As she hit the ground, I took a spread shotgun blast to the side, and kicked Burst into high gear as I weaved around the two gunmen. Ducking behind some trees, I caught sight of my other longsword still dug into the ground, and dashed out in front of the gunmen, pointing behind them.

"Look out!" I shouted, gesturing as I ducked under a shotgun spread.

"Yeah, like we're falling for-GUUHH!" Both faces flew towards the ground as I held Mirror's Edge horizontal in front me without Aura reinforcement, as its other half brained them from behind. Catching the second longsword before they could rejoin, I leapt and brought both blades down on their skulls flat-end first. As they hit the dirt, I noticed their Auras hadn't shattered, but they were definitely unconscious.

"OH, oh gods. Did I just nearly kill them?" I quickly recounted my moves, and thankfully the only one that would've definitely ended a non-Aura combatant was the full swing that'd taken out the one _with_ Aura. A cough behind sharply diverted my attention, as I whirled to the female bandit that I'd kicked, now sprawled on the ground and struggling to rise.

"Who the hell are you?" she snarled, words possibly a little rawer from the possible jaw fracture. Further gunshots and explosions had us both looking up, as one bandit fell from the upper levels, hitting the ground and silencing his Wilhelm scream. His shattered Aura let me breathe in relief that Nora, because who else could it have been, didn't just kill someone.

"_We_," I made sure to stress, "are some concerned citizens that had no time for games. Now, what do bandits want with the CCT tower?"

"Not giving shit!" the bandit growled. "You don't know who you're messing with!"

More pained shouts took precedent. "I'll stay tuned." Socking the bandit in the face, albeit a little softer, I left her unconscious body and entered the tower. Dashing up the stairs, I glanced out at the middle levels at four pulverized bandits, five if including the one who took a fall. Continuing up, I stepped out on the control room level, just as Magnhild streaked towards my face.

"No headshot!" I yelled, and the hammer paused as Nora's face brightened. "Alright, if you're here I'm assuming Ren has everything handled. I took care of the ones on the ground, so is everything alright?"

"Yup!" Nora replied, then sagged a little and scratched her cheek. "It's just, there's a tiny thing we didn't anticipate…"

"And that would be?" I asked, freezing as I walked into the control room.

A navy shirt tucked under a blue cardigan matched well with gray jeans. Adding to the ensemble were red sneakers and red glasses, the latter framed over brown eyes and underneath short brown hair. More important however was the sleek, standard-issue-looking pistol now pointed at me.

"I'm not a bandit," I spit out automatically, hands out peacefully. I could tank another bullet or two, but there was no reason to purposely do so and even less to spook family of one of the main characters. "Ren, are you in here?"

"I'm here," Ren replied, slowly stepping out from another area of the control room, making sure to make himself as obvious as possible for the woman before he slowly gestured to her. "This is Terra Cotta."

"Pleased to meet you," I greeted cordially, noting her name as I looked at her hands again. There, on her left ring finger, was-

"OOH, is that an engagement ring?" Nora asked, grasping my shoulders and leaning over me. I flinched slightly, then relaxed and sighed at Nora's antics. Terra relaxed as well after seeing Nora's joviality.

"I'm actually getting married in two days," Terra responded, and Nora's and my jaws dropped. Nora because of how soon it was, and me because of how _soon_ it was. "I was actually scheduled to work that day, but I arranged to perform the maintenance check a bit earlier than normal. A lot of good that did…"

'Yeah, my god, talk about putting the cart before the horse! I nearly forgot she was a technician, guess it makes sense she would occasionally check the systems, especially when all the towers are still functional.' I straightened slightly and smiled as disarmingly as I could. "We can stay with you for as long as it takes for the authorities to arrive, if that's alright with you."

"Are you kidding me? You three probably saved my life. For that, you guys are coming to the wedding, it's the least I can do, and gods know Jaune could probably use some support against those sisters of his," Terra mused as Nora and Ren looked on in confusion.

"I'm sorry, who-

"-or what is a Jaune? And what's this about sisters?"

'Your future leader and brother to seven sisters,' I thought faintly, heartbeats matching the growing volume of bullhead engines nearing the CCT tower. 'At least we'll be jumping the line to meet with the CCT officials."

… … …

"The great kingdom of Atlas must decline your request for a relay tower. Such wondrous and masterful technology must be placed with the interests of Atlas in mind, and I'm afraid that your…_quaint_ village does not meet the importance required to qualify for installation of a relay tower."

'Oh yeah…most Atlesian tech comes from the military.' Meaning we were dealing with…

Caroline Cordovin smiled a sickly sweet smile. "Now…if that concludes our business, I believe you have no further reason to be on our premises. The Atlesian military wishes you a good day."

"But-"

"A good day!"

"BUT-"

"A GOOD DAY!"

A quick escort from Argus base premises had the gates closing in our faces.

"…Wow, that _is_ annoying to experience."

With the three of us out of luck regarding our official mission, there was only visiting Sun and now attending Terra's wedding that kept us in Argus.

"GRRR, that, that….hah, what do we do?" Nora asked, looking worried. It was a long shot that we'd get a relay tower, but to get shut down so hard must have been disconcerting to the two of them, after experiencing success last year in Wind Path. Luckily however, I had years and years of failure over them to rely on.

'…that didn't sound quite like I thought it would.'

"It's not the end, not yet at least," I replied, stretching my back out. "We still have one more shot at Cordovin, and we're going to take advantage of it."

Ren's eyes widened. "Our official meeting date with CCT officials…"

"Meaning a stick-in-the-mud like our specialist will honor that appointment, so we have until then to find an angle to make a passionate Atlesian patriot consider a village in the middle of Mistral as worthy of a relay tower." I pulled out my phone and saw the muted calls from Sun. "Until then, we've got a mischievous faunus to reunite with."

One dust-powered trolley ride later, we were strolling up to an apartment building housing some students of Sanctum. And parked right outside on a bench, smile as wide as the bench itself, was Sun Wukong. Changed, however, was the monkey faunus since we'd last saw him.

Sun had clearly not attended Sanctum in the original timeline, because he clearly wasn't used to Argus' climate this time around. Adding to his white button-up was a black tailcoat, red on the inside with gold trim and cloud patterns decorating the outside. This clothing was unbuttoned.

"Aw man, it's great to see you all again!" Sun exclaimed, then glanced at our faces. "I take it your little detour on the call earlier lead to some trouble?"

"You could say that," Nora grumbled, muttering something about shorter people. "Let's just get inside to an actual bed."

"Well, I've got a spare mattress in my apartment, but one of you might have to bunk with my friend for the next few days since he's the one with the other spare mattress. You guys'll love him though, he's a really cool dude," Sun explained.

"Does this 'cool dude' also dress in red and have blue hair?" I asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"No reason…"

… … …

"Sooo, is anyone else worried we may be underdressed?" I asked as we approached the venue.

"…Well, I wasn't until you mentioned it," Nora grumbled as she glanced down. Although our clothes had been cleaned at Sun's, even our put-together outfits weren't exactly formal.

"Considering that we are guests of the bride, I believe that it's understandable our attendance was a matter of short notice," Ren commented dryly. As we neared the building, I took notice of the number of people around. Not a vast amount, but enough to indicate the invitees went beyond just family. 'I wonder how Mistral and Remnant altogether handles non-heterosexual relationships. Definitely flew over my head to look those up.'

Of particular interest was the man standing by the fountain, so much so that my pace slowed to crawl as I took in his features. Gold-spun hair and ocean-blue eyes were definitely similar, but the small amount of scruff was new. At a height well beyond six feet, with subtle shifts in posture revealing an extremely solid physique, the familial resemblance was far too strong, even if the show had never described who he was or what he looked like.

It was only after this analysis that I realized he was staring just as intently at me, and I would've shrunk back were he an enemy. As it stood, he was likely the furthest thing from one. Approaching him, with Nora and Ren gazing curiously at our non-verbal reaction, the silence was broken as he asked, "Hello there. Is there anything I can help you with? Do you happen to be lost?"

'Well, he's just as friendly to strangers as Jaune.' I waved as I replied, "Good afternoon. We were told to come to this venue as last-minute guests of the bride."

"Hmm, you seem a bit young to be friends of Saphron's, but then…wait, you're the three that Terra mentioned? The ones that saved her life yesterday? The ones that defeated over a dozen armed bandits?"

"Uhh, I think so, yes and yes, in that order," I replied, and we watched as the man threw his head back and released a full-bellied laugh, continued for about ten seconds, then did it again.

"Oh, that's amazing…wow…ok. I apologize for the strong reaction," the man said, running his hands through his hair in a habit that must've been passed down. "When I heard the news yesterday, I couldn't help but be worried that Terra invited some rough characters to the ceremony, so I offered to show them in. I was aiming to size them up in case of trouble, but to think that she was saved by three children. I thought she was exaggerating, but clearly it was I who was mistaken!"

Sticking his hand out, the man added, "Nicholas Arc at your service. Father of the bride, or one of them, anyway."

Ren and Nora's eyes widened, but I took it in stride and grasped Nicholas' hand. "Kouzai." His palm callouses were a cautionary tale to any non-civilian, a subtle sign with the message, "Don't screw with me."

"Lie Ren. You may call me Ren if you prefer"

"And I'm NORA!" After pumping Nicholas' arm with vigor that had the man amusedly impressed, Nora bounced back to Ren and I.

"I'm pleased to meet you all, and eternally grateful for the service that you have done for my daughter, and therefore my family." Nicholas gestured towards the open doors. "Come inside, please. I'm sure the rest of the attendees will want to meet the heroes of the day."

Tongue-tied at the praise, we followed him inside the elegantly decorated building. Passing through the entrance hall, we entered what I assumed was the reception area, given the tables spaced around the wooden center area. Well, that and the groups of finely dressed men, women and children, all of whom turned our way as Nicholas swept into the room, followed by us. Not a sound was uttered, until Nicholas reached the podium and microphone. Clearing his throat, he leaned in. "Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present, the saviors of the Argus CCT tower, and the rescuers of our lovely Terra Cotta. Please welcome, Nora, Ren and Kouzai!"

Silence permeated the room, before thunderous applause rang out, every guest and even employee in the room on their feet. Tearing right down the center of the room came Terra, and a woman the show told me was Saphron Arc. Both ladies circled around us to wrap the three of us in a tight hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you…" Saphron whispered into our ears as her eyes were shut, little flecks of moisture threatening to spill out. Meanwhile, Terra rolled her eyes but was hugging us just as tight.

"I'd call her dramatic, but in this instance it's well-warranted. I can't thank you enough for letting me come home to her." Now Terra's eyes were misty, a fact noticeable given her current lack of glasses. Then the three of us were bodily dragged along by the two brides, until arriving at a table of seven. Seven blonde-haired, blue-eyed, misty-eyed siblings.

"Ren, Nora, Kouzai, these are my siblings, six sisters and one Jaune." "Hey!" "Would you be willing to sit at their table during the rehearsal dinner and tomorrow at the reception?"

'Of all the long shots, this one is pretty far. Even if Adrian was a toddler in canon, even if Jaune and his family would visit Mistral often, to be _here_? _Now_?' My face would've out-bluffed the poker world champions. "We'd be happy to, provided that we aren't ruining the ceremony of course."

"Of course not! Anyone who thinks that an invitation or fancy clothes are required after all this can shove it," Saphron huffed heatedly. Meanwhile, I was keeping an eye on one Arc sibling in particular.

He looked almost identical to his appearance during the Beacon dance. In the suit, not the dress. With his growth spurt just beginning, he lacked the towering height and decent muscle mass to stand up to Ursa Majors and Deathstalkers. Admittedly though, his tousled blonde hair had been combed into submission, but a fourteen-year-old Jaune Arc stared at the three of us with awe in his eyes.

As Nora, Ren and I took our hastily-provided seats, the eldest sister cleared her throat. "Welcome to the Cotta-Arc wedding. I am Rouge Arc, and seated with me are my siblings Olivia, the twins Cerulean and Delphine, Aqua, Lavender and our only brother, Jaune."

"Pleased to meet you."

"What's up."

"Hey."

"Delighted."

"Hiya!"

"Uh, hi."

Ren and Nora blinked in sheer amazement, and even after having seen the family photo, so was I. 'So…much…blonde! So..much…friendly!'

"You're just in time for dinner to be served, the speeches just finished," Rouge continued. "A portion of them were devoted to the three of you. Should you be available to attend the reception tomorrow, you will doubtlessly hear them."

"Yaaay…" I replied weakly, as Nora stammered and blushed while Ren stiffened like a board. 'Yeah, still not used to the whole praise thing.'

"What does intrigue me, however," Rouge added, "are the stories Terra provided about your combat capabilities. Do the three of you attend Sanctum?"

"We, uhh, we actually don't attend any combat school. We're self-trained," I managed to get out, almost mesmerized by the hereditary blue of the Arc family eyes. It didn't help that this was one of the first women I'd interacted with around my Earth age, or that I was a sucker for blue eyes. 'No! Bad! Fictional characters, and she's probably a decade older than you currently!'

Rouge seemed deep in thought, and I caught a couple glances over to Jaune's position. "Quite impressive, taking on a baker's dozen bandits by yourselves. Tell me, do you three have aspirations of becoming Huntsmen in the future?"

"Yup!" Nora seemed to be over her bashfulness. "We're aiming for Beacon in a few years!"

Jaune made a sound between a choke, whine, and gasp at the same time, the result being that he actually choked, to the humor of his sisters. And Nora.

"It is heartwarming that the youth are as enthusiastic about defending Remnant as the Huntsmen of now and old. I confess to being curious as to your proficiency. Call it a professional interest in the standards of the future." Rouge casually drummed her fingers, and I noticed the very defined muscles of her arm. "Would you three be interested in a spar tomorrow with me? I would volunteer our father, but he would likely crush your spirits."

"It would be interesting to experience facing an actual huntress in single combat," Ren mused.

"Yeah, been there, almost done in for it," I remarked dryly, before Rouge brought her hand to her mouth and giggled.

"I believe you misunderstand me. I was not offering a spar with each of you individually." Ren's eyes widened as Nora's smile grew to proportions usually reserved for pancake-eating or leg-breaking. I internally made a piteous sound, but couldn't help the ember of challenge inside. All through our conversation though, I noticed Jaune looking on with an undecipherable expression.

… … …

"You can't beat all three of us!" Nora called out, waving Magnhild around like a banner and not a giant hammer. Ren had no words, merely deploying Stormflower and assuming a neutral position. I took the time to analyze whatever I could about the opponent, hoping to God she had some Jaune-like weaknesses to exploit.

Rouge Arc stood confident and imposing, wearing a chestplate, gauntlets and boots over a white-and-red dress. With her outfit, hair and eyes, she looked like a more aggressive Saber. 'Given her mother's name and appearance, it's not surprising.'

"Oh this? Trust me…this…is going to be fun," Rouge Arc grinned. Reaching behind her back, she pulled out her armaments, a sword and shield. Contrary to the established design of Crocea Mors, however, the sword was closer to that of a short sword, while her shield looked closer to that of a hexagonal-patterned circular shield. Strangely, I felt as though I'd seen similar weapons before.

Nicholas Arc stood off to the side, an amused smile on his face and his hand raised. Meanwhile, Jaune was seated close by with wide eyes.

"This bout will be dictated by formal sparring rules. Your Auras have been linked to the scroll system here, and upon being reduced to 20% of your Aura or under you will be removed from the spar. Seeing how two of you don't have your semblances, Rouge has agreed not to use hers either. Otherwise, there is no time limit, and there are no rules. Are all combatants ready?

Too focused on Rouge, the three of us nodded, as Rouge gave a cheeky thumbs up towards her father. "Very well then…3,2,1…Begin!

Fast.

I blinked and she was nearly on me. Reflexively joining Mirror's' Edge together, I shielded myself in time to take a stab right in the center of my blade, pushing me back a few yards. Rouge didn't stop there, pivoting on her feet to stab towards Ren, forcing him to jam Stormflower's blades in between to parry her. Meanwhile, her shield was held out as Nora swung Magnhild, slamming the shield dead-on as Rouge skidded to the side, the momentum freeing her blade from Stormflower.

'Fast, strong, and very, _very_ skilled. Not a good combination for us.' I had the classic plan for when you outnumbered an opponent though. "Ren, rain fire down on her left side! I'm going for the right. Nora, charge straight down the middle!"

Regrouping, we split apart and dashed towards Rouge, and the plan was holding up. Stormflower's rapid shots kept Rouge's shield up and Rouge circling to avoid fire. Mirror's Edge kept Rouge's short sword in constant motion deflecting my two blades. Meaning…

"HERE'S NORA!" Magnhild swung down with the combined force of a grenade discharge, gravity and Nora's full strength. As Rouge raised her shield to block, I saw her front open and slashed with both blades. Nora and I hit at the same time, as Rouge's shield and sword were interspersed to block our weapons. The force knocked her back however, and she back-flipped and landed on her feet, still looking immaculate as we regrouped.

"You kids aren't bad at all! Certainly better than the average bandit group." Rouge seemed more pleased than anything else. "I didn't think I would be using this so soon, but needs must."

Pressing a switch somewhere on her sword, the pommel collapsed and a considerably longer shaft sprouted, turning the sword into a spear. Re-gripping the weapon, the position of her shield also shifted slightly as it expanded in size, and suddenly the resemblance in weapons became much clearer.

'Welp, that explains why Jaune was able to pick up on Pyrrha's style that quickly.' Rouge's posture had some differences compared to Pyrrha's however, being much more defensive with the spear held to the shield's side.

"I was proficient in the sword, spear and shield before attending Mistral Academy, but a regional combat style I encountered while studying there fit my own rather well, so I learned it and modified my weapons as such," Rouge explained. Grimly, I tried to account for the difference in weapons and style.

"Nora, occupy her spear. Ren, circle around to her back. I'm going for her front."

Splitting apart again, we'd barely begun as I marveled at how much she'd been holding back. Rouge Arc was far from uncomfortable with the sword and shield, but this new style she exhibited looked fluid. Using arm strength belying her already muscular physique, she whirled her spear around Magnhild in dizzying circles that had Nora struggling to parry, let alone attack. Her other arm alone was moving her massive shield around and covering her body from Stormflower's shots. And when I tried to close in and take advantage of the opening?

WHAM

I reeled back as a kick nearly took my head clean off my shoulders. I had little doubt I was bruised through my Aura. "Did Mistral teach you how to throw mean kicks like that as well?"

Rouge Arc smirked as she swung her spear, warding off Ren as he tried closing in while meeting Magnhild with a solid clang. "Actually, you may dancing for that."

'Yeah, go figure.' I rubbed my jaw as I readied Mirror's Edge again. Before I could charge in, however, Rouge did the unexpected by placing her shield in front as Nora charged with Magnhild. 'Her spear's been fine fending off Magnhild so far, so why…oh damn!'

"Nora, watch out!" I shouted, but Nora was already swinging Magnhild, meeting the upper part of Rouge's shield. From the side, I could see Rouge's shifted grip on her shield, leaving the center open. With a thrust, her spear shot through an opening in the center of the shield, slamming into Nora's stomach and halting all of Nora's momentum.

"NORA!" Ren peppered Rouge with gunfire as he closed in, but using the shots as reference, Rouge pulled her spear back through the opening and bashed Ren's forehead with the butt of the shaft, sending him into the dirt.

"Aw, crap," I muttered, knowing the game was pretty much up. Nevertheless, I charged in with both blades of Mirror's Edge, and as Rouge faced me with her shield, I threw one of the swords and leapt into the air. As the blade skittered off the shield, I sliced down towards Rouge's unprotected head, meeting shield again as she orbited the shield over her head to her other side. Gritting my teeth, I disengaged the Aura reinforcement as my other blade streaked back towards me, but Rouge swung her spear around and knocked the blade away with stunning precision. Her arm a blur, the spear continued and crashed into my side, and I dipped to nurse my ribs. The opening was all Rouge needed as her shield streaked towards my face and collided in a wall of metal as I hit the ground.

"GAAHHH!...Did anyone catch the number of the bullhead that hit me?" I joked weakly, staring up at Rouge as Nicholas called the end of the spar.

As Nora and Ren picked themselves off the ground, I could see they were slightly dejected at having lost to a single outnumbered opponent. As the unequivocal weakest member of our group, I slung my arms around their shoulders, despite the pain the movement cost me. "Now you know how I felt against that huntsman last year. And for reference, he sucked way more than Rouge did. There's always a bigger fish, we just happened to run into a pretty big one."

"Kouzai is correct in his wisdom," Rouge added, placing her weapons on her back. "Even for a huntress such as myself, my father is stronger than I, and others in Remnant are certainly stronger than him. What lies ahead is certainly important, but only if you take in perspective how far you have come as well."

Ren digested that, as Nora rotated her arm from the shoulder. "Let's just say you were a super-strong huntress. That'll make me feel reeeaaalllly good about myself."

Rouge giggled and replied, "I wouldn't want you to inflate my ego, but I suppose I can accept the compliment in good faith. Now, I'm sure it has been a long night for everyone, so we should return to our abodes, and rest for the reception tomorrow. Else I would have two murderous brides after my head, and that is a fight I am not willing to take." All present shared a laugh as we said our goodbyes to the Arcs and Terra for the night, then began our trek back to Sun's.

"Man, those guys were awesome! You think every family is like that?" Nora asked, hugging herself in excitement before flinching as her bruises throbbed.

"Perhaps not, otherwise Remnant would be a far safer and far friendlier world," Ren lamented. "I would not be opposed to maintaining a rapport with them after our departure from Argus. They were all wonderful individuals, and I am interested in conversing further with Jaune."

"OOH, Jaune-Jaune and Ren-Ren are going to be best buddies! With Koze and Sun, that makes three guy friends for Ren!" Nora gushed, and I smiled behind them.

'Well, definitely not planned, but having Jaune, Ren and Nora meeting prior to canon should only further cement JNPR's bond in Beacon. Maybe Jaune will be more willing to get help from the other three for training and prevent Cardin's transcript blackmail. Ehh, baby steps. There'll be time to plan everything later.'

… … …

"Ow…ow…oww…" Nora repeated as she walked gingerly, bruises clearly visible on her pale skin.

"I admit, I did not expect a single spar to result in such fatigue and soreness," Ren added, moving normally but at a much slower pace.

"Welcome to my life," I replied dryly, shrugging off the bruises and aches as I trudged ahead. "After daily butt-kickings from you two for nearly two years, my ability to take hard knocks and keep going is huntsmen-level by now."

Walking through one of Argus' parks nearby Sanctum's dorms, the three of us were working out the kinks from the spar and sleeping in snug apartments. Upon waking this morning and moving like a pack of rusty animatronics, we'd been pretty much laughed out of the apartment by Sun and Neptune.

'Whatever, it's a nice day out. We've got a wedding to attend today, we're dealing with Cordovin _not today_, and we've got a plan in place for that." I turned and swept my arms out to gesture at the trees, marble pillars and people around. "The sun's out, the air is fresh, let's just sit back, relax and-"

"I saw her somewhere around here! Let's get an autograph!"

"-get an autograph! Wait, what?" I turned back at the groups of people chattering, many of whom held markers, scrolls, t-shirts with even a shirtless man present.

'This many people…autograph…Argus…Oh, for the love of gods!' I scanned the park around us, noting every pillar, tree and shrub. Seeing something, I sighed and walked back to Ren. "Ren, can you cloak me in your semblance for thirty seconds?"

Confused, Ren nodded, then knelt on the ground and focused as a wave of calm came over me. With my easily-forgotten presence on top of that, I was essentially unnoticeable as I walked to a bench and sat down, laying my arms across the back.

"I spy with my little eye, a champion tournament fighter," I droned out, Ren's semblance not preventing my satisfaction at the small yelp from the bush behind me. "I spy with my little eye, a little celebrity that needs help. Shake the bush for no, do nothing if yes."

Silence met my words, and I sighed. Ren's semblance would wear off soon. "Well, if you'd like help leaving, just take my hand and follow me. And yes, I know how creepy that sounds, sorry not sorry." As the seconds ticked down, I waited as the bush rustled minutely, and a head of scarlet-red slowly rose out of the bush. A tentative hand reached out and took my own as Ren's semblance extended to her as well. Nodding to Ren, he saw my intent and continued the effect as a figure emerged from the bush, dressed in casual clothing and looking slightly color-muted. Her nervousness must've been substantial however, given her strained smile, one used by overworked celebrities to greet fans.

"Um, hello," the Invincible Girl greeted my admittedly disconcerting deadpan. In response, I stood and slowly walked with her back to Nora and Ren.

"Hello, Pyrrha Nikos. Let me introduce you to my friends as we make our exit away from this frenzied mob."

… … …

… … …

Jaune swallowed as he approached his parent's hotel room. He timed his visit for when he knew his mother would be rousing his sisters. Notorious oversleeping was yet another familial Arc trait, though one overcome with enough motivation.

A quiet knock was enough to reach his father's sharp ears, and the door opened as Nicholas stood in the doorway. "Jaune! I expected you to be in bed, or at least until your mother pushed you out of it. Did you need something from either of us?"

"Uhh, yeah, I had something I wanted to ask you." Jaune took a deep breath to steel himself, an action noticed by his father as his eyes sharpened. "I know I've asked before, and I know you've refused before, but I'm doing so again. I want to ask you to train me to be a huntsman."

Nicholas' sharp blue met Jaune's own, but Jaune held his ground and stared back at his father in resoluteness. Neither said a word, and Jaune dared not even breathe, but…Nicholas sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Is this about Nora, Ren and Kouzai? Their spar with Rouge yesterday?"

Jaune could deny it, say it was his own motivation, but he'd never been the best liar. "Yeah, it is. Yesterday night, those three came into the rehearsal dinner and no one could tell how tough they were, but everyone still treated them like heroes. And that spar! They _were_ tough, and Rouge looked like she was having fun."

And not only her. He could see it in the eyes of Nora, Ren and Kouzai too. Even though they lost, there was a fire that burned in their gazes and expressions, something that sang during the fight that even Jaune, untrained as he was, could see. "I want you to train me so that I can save people like they did, so I can be a part of that world like they are."

Nicholas looked down at Jaune with weathered eyes, and Jaune forgot whatever else he would've said as he saw the echoes of pain in his father's irises. Kneeling down, Nicholas looked Jaune at relatively the same level. "Son, I've told you before, their world, Rouge's world, your mother's world, _my_ world…that world is held by the pillars of pain and suffering. It is hard and thankless most of the time, and you see things that…that take a little bit of you every time you see them. I don't want that for you, especially when you've never had the iron will to commit to this. You're already a year behind anyone going to a combat school like Signal or Sanctum as it is."

"But I'm different than I was back then! I really, truly want to train now. And those three aren't even attending a combat school at all, and look at how good they are!"

"You're different now, you say? What's to stop you from backing out once things get hard and your motivations change yet again? Those kids, despite not training under a mentor, clearly push each other, through all of the hard work, through all the pain. Without attending a combat school, you won't have any of that, and I won't be sympathetic towards your own self-imposed plight!" Pushing his anger down, Nicholas laid a hand on Jaune's trembling shoulder, feeling the tremors still. "I mean it, son. This life isn't something one should choose on a whim, nor is it the kind that you can leave behind when you desire. It stays with you, in more ways than you can count.

But…I will be fair. I can see how these kids have had influenced your desire to become a huntsman, and I don't blame you, they are inspiring. So speak with them, truly, and find out if you wish to do so. Should you truly desire this path, I _will_ train you to the best of my ability. But be warned, I will make no concessions. You are years behind other aspiring huntsmen, and I will train you to close and surpass that gap, heedless of your ability to keep up. And I won't allow you to throw all your eggs into this basket either. You will continue attending school, and I will train you in the spare time that you have. Just remember Jaune, an Arc-"

"Never goes back on his word." Jaune stared his father down, not smiling despite his request being granted. "I know, and whatever happens, I won't let you down."

A door down the hall opened, and Artoria Arc stepped out, saw Jaune and Nicholas, and promptly hugged Jaune, pleased her son had managed to get up on his own for once. To the side, Nicholas remembered the fierce glint that Jaune's eyes gave just then, and the resoluteness of his words, as he down at his wife and son.

'I know you won't.'

**A/N: Ahh, here we go. The next part of the Countdown Arc, and it promises some interesting events. Despite the potential fragility of my plot to the plot of future volumes in the show, I think I've done a decent job at constructing a timeline that makes sense. As for the Arc sisters, there was nothing I could do but give them names that I thought would fit, but I don't expect them to be huge parts of the story. Now for the Omake.**

**OMAKE**

"Are you sure that I'm ready for this, Ms. Goodwitch?" I alternated clenching either of my two blades as I looked out into the forest, where a dark shape rested.

"During the past year, you have performed more than adequately against Beowolves, Ursai, and even the rare Nevermore. Not to mention your involvement against criminals in Vale last year while accompanying Miss Rose and Miss Xiao Long." Glynda's glare made it quite clear exactly what she thought about that course of events, before her eyes softened. "However, if you believe you are unprepared, we can focus further on the basics, and return at a later time."

I took a deep breath. "No no, if you believe that I'm ready I'll take your expertise over my doubts. I trust you, Ms. Goodwitch." Seeing Glynda smile unabashedly, I smiled back before schooling my face and Aura-reinforcing my blades. Then I stepped forward.

In the forest, the shape registered my approach, then rose slowly to behold its challenger. Four eyes blinked, as two heads gazed at me from two separate angles, one black and one white.

A Taijitu. Not a King, but still a massive double-headed snake that would strangle me if I wasn't careful. I levelled both blades, one at each head. "It's too bad Grimm parts dissolve on death. Scale armor sounds awesome." I wasn't sure if the Taijitu understood that, but both heads lunged nonetheless. Focusing, I used Barrier as both heads slammed into the dome, reeling back as if dazed. I took the chance and leapt up, swinging both blades at a pair of eyes.

_Need to get stronger. Much, much stronger…_

**A/N: And back to Glyndapoint. Or would it be Ozpoint? Who knows, either could work. Just so long as Kouzai manages to stay alive, that is.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 10/07/19**


	10. Chapter 7: What Goes Around

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Happy October! For all those unaware, this past weekend was the New York Comic-Con, meaning new information about Volume 7! While I wasn't in attendance, the explosion of posts on Twitter and Reddit, along with the mass of cosplayers in Manhattan, meant that I was present in spirit. The teaser trailer and panel gave us a good look at the Volume 7 outfits, and thank god everyone bundled up for going to Atlas. Again, doing my best to avoid any possible plot contradictions, so keeping my fingers crossed for the premiere next month.**

**On a different and more unfortunate note, my graduate school finals schedule was released, and I got smacked with the worst possible lineup of times and days. As a result, I must unfortunately announce that I will not be updating this story on December 9 and December 16, to focus on exams. However, fear not, for I'm planning on doing a double-release on December 2 to make up for my short absence. And rest assured, I've already calculated that this arc's finish before the year is out, so don't worry about me dragging my feet. Hopefully this little break doesn't dis-incentivize readers from wanting to read my story, but what can you do.**

**Chapter 7: What Goes Around**

**Chapter Date: 10/07/19**

"So you're absolutely certain you won't mind if we bring a friend to the ceremony and reception? I don't want to impose." I stared at the screen as Saphron was getting ready, Nicholas' head in the background.

"Kouzai, you could bring a dozen friends along and we'd have a separate table for all of you," Saphron replied, glaring at Nicholas when the man made a sound of protest. "You three are trustworthy, so I know you wouldn't do anything to ruin today. And since you're only bringing a plus-one, as long as they don't mind we can fit you four with Jaune and the rest."

"Great, thank you Saphron. I'll let her know." I looked on quizzically as Saphron raised a sly eyebrow.

"Oh, 'her'? For someone who arrived in Argus not two days ago, you work fast, Kouzai." My face burned as I caught her meaning, then waved a hand.

"That is _not_ why I invited her!" I exclaimed, blustering a goodbye before hanging up. 'So close, yet _so_ far off the mark Saphron.'

I turned back to Nora, Ren and Pyrrha, and the smirks on two of their faces, along with the last's burning expression confirmed that my scroll call had been quite audible. I slapped my face and dragged the hand down. "Right…well, Pyrrha's cleared to attend, so we can head over now unless Pyrrha has events going on today that she needs to be present for."

"I have no appointments scheduled today, and since Sanctum is currently on break, my entire day is free." Pyrrha did an admirable job of fighting her blush down. "Thank you again for helping me avoid my fans in the park earlier. I had merely gone to relax, but I would have likely been signing autographs all morning if you all hadn't come to my aid."

"It was our pleasure to help," Ren replied. I thanked my lucky stars he didn't mention anything about-

"Yeah, after all, we made a toooon of lien after Kouzai bet you'd win the regional tournament last year!"

'…I jinxed myself, didn't I?' I levelled a scorching glare at Nora while Pyrrha flinched, her natural smile becoming stiff.

"I swear I'm not some superfan, and I'm not thinking about making money off knowing you." I tried to head off this disaster before things spiraled. "I just happened to see one of your matches last year, thought you were a strong candidate to win, and placed a singular bet to help my friends and I afford huntsmen-quality weapons for our training."

"His intentions are sincere," Ren added, the angel that he was. "We were in a difficult financial situation, and his passing knowledge of your skills immensely aided our prospects. I can also confirm that he wishes to thank you in kind for your unintentional help, and that he has no romantic inclinations towards you." Aaaand now Pyrrha was blushing again.

"Thanks, Ren," I deadpanned, before turning back to Pyrrha. "Look, I just wanted to ask a couple things about your training and fighting style. If anything, I'd sooner set you up with Ren or Jaune, someone at the wedding."

"You mean _ONLY JAUNE_, right Kouzai?" The sound of Magnhild deploying behind me had me in a cold sweat, and I slowly nodded, staying still until Nora stowed it away.

"…Well, I can't speak in regards to 'Jaune', but I think that Ren and Kouzai are both wonderful people, and despite also not harboring any romantic affections for either of them, I hope to be your friend." Pyrrha was as affable as ever. Nora squinted at her suspiciously, and seconds passed as Pyrrha began sweating under the scrutiny, before the hammer-wielder's face brightened.

"I've decided! I decree that Pyrrha and I will be friends for life!" Pyrrha looked taken aback, then happy, then nervous before looking to Ren and I.

"Congratulations. You have just entered a lifelong, exclusive club," Ren deadpanned, resignation at dealing with Nora's antics mixing with relief that more people were now shared that responsibility.

"Yup, quite exclusive," I added, before grinning. "The list currently includes a reformed pickpocket, an ancient and mentally unstable blacksmith, and us two." Predictably, Pyrrha didn't seem to take much relief from my statement. Further discussion was put on hold as we returned to the wedding venue.

"Lucky you relax in fashionable clothes, even if Saphron, Terra and the rest don't care about our attire," I muttered, before turning to Pyrrha. Although her clothes were different, everything from the neck up still looked the same including her ponytail and circlet, making identification quite possible. "Would you be opposed to letting down your hair while we're here? And do you happen to have a pair of sunglasses you could wear, at least until we're at the table? I think being discreet for now would be wise."

"Certainly." Pyrrha pulled a pair of aviators from her bag. Reaching behind her head to pull her ponytail down, she shook her hair and slipped the aviators on her face.

"…That backfired massively. You look like a movie star now." It took about three seconds and Pyrrha's cheeks reddening for me to realize I'd spoken out loud. Conveying a promise of swift retribution by glaring at a snickering Nora and smiling Ren, I sighed. "Let's just roll with it, we'll be late if we dally much longer." Entering the building, we made our way over to the ceremony hall.

… … …

"Sooooo…everyone, this is our friend Pyrrha. We helped her earlier and thought it'd be an interesting way to spend the day with us."

Contrary to our warm welcome yesterday, the Arc siblings at the moment were completely silent, but not out of brusqueness. Rather, the sight of Pyrrha Nikos, stunning even in casual clothes, was something to behold. A quick sidelong glance at Jaune showed him absolutely starstruck.

'Huh, I guess Weiss' absence gave him a front-row seat to Pyrrha's looks this time.' Before I could ruminate on that thought, a blur of movement had us four seated as conversation erupted at the table.

"How do you know-"

"Why didn't you mention-"

"Have you seen her-"

"Guys," a voice firmly called, and heads turned as we all realized it was Jaune who'd spoken. Apparently surprised himself, he stammered out, "W-we should let Pyrrha speak if we're curious about anything, considering that she's a guest…even if I'm not exactly sure who she is."

'In hindsight, considering your sister lives in Argus, the same city as Sanctum and likely where Pyrrha grew up, your lack of knowledge becomes more amazing.' Pyrrha seemed to think so as well, though in a less sarcastic way, as she took off her sunglasses and with shining eyes asked, "You honestly don't know who I am?"

"Err…I can't say that I do, sorry," Jaune admitted, hand doing its best to ruffle the hair that'd been neatly combed for the ceremony. At that, Pyrrha's eyes glinted with unrestrained hope, and I seriously considered throwing Sun and Neptune tips to become genuine friends with her because by the gods, she needed friends.

"You doofus," I think it was Olivia groaned. Yep, green headband. "She's the two-time champion of the Mistral Reigonal Tournament. As in, probably the strongest teenager this side of Remnant."

"Oooooooohhhh," Jaune drew out, earning face-slaps by his siblings, and Nora. "That's pretty cool. I'd ask for some fighting tips, but uhh, well, I don't have much training yet."

"He's hopeless," either Cerulean or Delphine said exasperatedly, the other emphatically nodding. Seriously, they were identical down to their matching blue hair ribbons, how was anyone supposed to tell them apart? Then I caught the last bit of Jaune's statement.

"Well, I would be happy to provide a few pointers so long as you're willing," Pyrrha offered, before turning to Ren, Nora and I. "And I could exhibit my combat style if one of you would like to spar with me."

Ren paled at the prospect of a further butt-whooping, but Nora jumped up in her seat, exclaiming, "Are you KIDDING me? A chance to fight ANOTHER super-strong person, one our age? COUNT ME IN!" Ren paled further at the thought of Nora fighting another teenager _stronger_ than Nora.

"Nora, we're at a wedding. _Please_, sit down." One would think I'd be used to Nora's behaviors by now, but when adding the rest of JNPR and various other factors, the chaos became unpredictable and immeasurable.

Pyrrha giggled as she replied, "Very well, Nora. I would be happy to spar with you later. And I assume that Ren could use further rest after using his semblance for so long. How about you then, Kouzai?" Put on the spot, all heads turned to me as I noted eight females and one Jaune giving me puppy eyes, and one Ren telepathically pleading to help keep Nora's property damage to a minimum.

"Alright, alright, call off the eyes, please." If I ever met Ruby, I'd be screwed if I caved this easily. "I already get my butt kicked daily, so I guess I'm a little short today. I'm at your service, Ms. Nikos."

… … …

Predictably, it was a slaughter. In a one-on-one fight against the pinnacle of huntsmen hopefuls, Nora fought well, but her weaknesses were repeatedly capitalized on. Impressive speed and overpowering strength gave way to counter-measures in every area of combat, as Pyrrha Nikos proved a commanding opponent at all ranges. Nora was currently flat on her back, limbs in all directions and Magnhild out of reach as she heaved for air.

"Pain…great pain…mistakes were made…" Nora wheezed the familiar phrase, before jumping up and pumping her arms in the air. "LET'S DO IT AGAIN!...owowowow." Promptly falling forward, one arm extended pitifully in the air towards Ren. Sighing, the boy walked over and pulled Nora onto his back, taking a moment to ruffle her disheveled hair as he walked back to the Arcs.

"I don't mean to assume, but those two…" Pyrrha had appeared at my side.

"They're together, together-together in case Nora tries to deny it. They just don't know it yet, and can't spit it out," I muttered conspiratorially to Pyrrha, before we separated to take our sparring positions.

I didn't think I'd fare any better than Nora, honestly. But it was a chance to face the strongest of our year, and more importantly, experiment with an idea I'd been working on. As I stood across from Pyrrha, all the mental notes on her fighting style came to the forefront.

'Milo: all-range mecha-shift weapon, either a sword, javelin or rifle. Akouo, hoplite shield with concave sides to peek a weapon through. Skilled in close combat, swordsmanship, marksmanship, and all the other ships. Welp, that doesn't leave a lot to work with. I need to take her off guard and take the momentum.'

"Fighters, are you ready?" Rouge called from the side, and Pyrrha and I nodded in unison, not taking our eyes off each other. "This bout will begin in 3…"

I closed my eyes. 'Here we go.'

"2…"

I channeled Aura and focused on a specific body part. 'This'll either be awesome…'

"1…"

_Something_ was happening, for sure. '…or I'm about to eat dirt.'

"Begin!"

'Showtime.' I shot forward with two blazing orbs of silver Aura.

Yeah, I'm trying that.

A low factor of Burst let me match Pyrrha's speed as we rocketed towards the center of our ring, but as one of my longswords clashed against Milo, my thoughts were somewhat occupied.

'I have _no_ idea what I'm doing! It feels like I'm flexing my _eyeballs_ right now!' Colors became starker, details sharper, and I could see _so much more_!

'Meet slash, upper slash blocked, side kick ba-aaaagghh!' I was meeting her attacks as she met mine, but I was constantly giving ground. 'Alright, here's my best!'

Parrying Milo, I leapt forward with a knee, and Pyrrha shielded with Akouo. Before the impact though, I merged Mirror's Edge back together and planted my free hand on the ground. Hooking my foot around the upper lip of Akouo, I kicked down hard as Pyrrha's guard opened up. In the same motion, I planted my foot on the shield to keep it lowered as I spun with Mirror's Edge in a full swing. As the greatsword closed in, Pyrrha released Akouo, and the movement upset my balance as my foot slipped from the shield hitting the ground…or so it looked like.

'Got you!' I gritted my teeth and planted my other foot on the ground, using the new angle to tilt the slash and keep my footing secure. 'I've seen the signs, I felt that unnatural shift!'

Pyrrha's eyes widened imperceptibly, but she raised Milo to meet Mirror's Edge, and sparks flew as she angled the larger blade to the side. This time, the action was all skill, and my weapon slammed into the ground as she spun around. Before I could raise Mirror's Edge, a near-simultaneous leg sweep and slash completely upended my balance, leaving me airborne. Then…

'Wait, why's this so sl-' In the air for seconds somehow, I could only raise my arms to block as the reclaimed Akouo crushed my arms inward as the force carried me into the ground. Before I could even struggle, Milo was pointed at my chin.

"I yield," I grunted, attempts to rise meeting impressive resistance by Akouo and the attached arm. As the pressure lessened, I sat up and rubbed my arms as Pyrrha returned to a neutral position.

"Well, those bouts were refreshing! Thank you for the wonderful fights!" Pyrrha exclaimed gracefully, a light sweat the only sign of exertion whatsoever on her part. My Aura was still intact, but only because I'd been forced into submission before I went too low. 'I swear there was a moment where I was predicting her moves. Then again, I _have_ seen her fight before, multiple times in fact. Still…'

As Pyrrha approached and extended a hand, I pushed past crying muscles and took the hand, boosting myself to my feet, albeit a little hunched. All the while, I caught sight of Pyrrha gazing over at Nora, Ren and the Arcs enjoying themselves.

…A small change wouldn't hurt, right?

"The Arcs seem friendly. If I were in Argus for an extended period of time, I'd make the effort to be friends with them. Of course, given that they're supposedly in a lifelong debt to us for saving Terra, and that Nora's pretty much adopted Jaune as another brother for Ren, not much effort would be necessary for me to make that happen. But that's just me." I looked sideways at Pyrrha, who gazed longingly at the group of jovial teenagers. Sighing, I gently pushed Pyrrha a couple steps ahead of me. "Let them in. Trust me, they'll be worth it."

Biting her lip, Pyrrha seemed caught up between both her potential future and the specters of her past. But gradually, some quality in Pyrrha's emerald eyes, screaming loneliness, dissolved as she tentatively stepped towards the group, who welcomed her with open arms.

I stood back and gazed at the scene, picturesque and hard-fought. 'Never thought JNPR could be together before canon. Their bonds should just grow stronger before then. Maybe this'll be enough to keep the team together when things get hard.' My monologue stopped early as Jaune broke off from the group and approached.

"So…I was talking to Ren and Nora about your training and weapons and stuff. Is it…is it really true that you were left, and found by Nora and Ren two years ago?" Out of all the topics that could've come up, this was one that I saw coming.

I exhaled and wiped my forehead of lingering sweat. "Yeah, it's not a particularly fun tale. Woke up in a forest with some pretty fractured memories, almost got eaten by a Beowolf, and then got saved by Ren and Nora. I've been with them since." Hands swept out at me as Jaune gaped.

"See, that! How did you decide, how did you know you wanted to become a huntsman, to devote so much time and effort to training with total strangers. Why choose this over trying to fix your memories or find your family?" To anyone lacking the full picture, which was everyone, that was an excellent and baffling question.

"A feeling, or a promise. That's all it is," I replied back, looking off as I searched for the truthful words that Jaune deserved. "My past here is pretty hazy. But despite everything I don't know or remember, I know, deep down, that I want to watch over, protect others. On Remnant, the best way to do that is as a huntsman. As for Nora and Ren, they were the first people I met in this new life of mine, and never wavered in wanting to protect others from the suffering they endured.

I haven't gone through what they have. Some would say being possibly abandoned and having the majority of your life erased is suffering enough. Maybe my old life or family is close by." 'It really could be.' "But…after seeing what I have these past two years, after having gone through what I have with Nora and Ren, I know I need to help them achieve their goal to protect others. I'll guard them, and however many others that I can, because in the end, that's _my_ goal."

Jaune was silent for a moment, trying to take in what I'd divulged to him. In a way, it was both less and more than what I'd told Nora and Ren, but I knew what they were looking for was different than Jaune. Hesitantly, voice wavering, he asked, "Do you think I can become a huntsman?"

"Absolutely." My confidence had him staring wide-eyed at me. "The time you put in _is_ important, but more than that is the effort. I'm the weakest of the three of us, and I've trained fewer years than they have, but I'm catching up. Partly due to the skill curve, but I've worked hard, and I've worked smart. In the end, know your strengths, know your weaknesses, know your limits, and push those limits. Most everyone is born with some talent and trains somewhat. But you…train as if you have no talent, and make that work ethic your talent. That's how you succeed." At least, that's how it worked for me.

I gripped his shoulder and nodded, and something shifted in his eyes, some quality that I knew the rest of JNPR saw in him when they looked to him as their fearless leader. In them, I could tell that Jaune would be alright come canon. Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice Nora in front of us until her hands were grasping our wrists. "COME ON, Pyrrha's talking about her weapons! They're so COOL!"

I looked down at my wrist, locked in a vice grip, then at the mad bomber already in motion. I mentally prayed for Jaune. 'Oh, sonofa-'

"ARRRHGGHGH!"

… … …

"This is the closest I've ever been to Argus' base. Now that I'm at the gates, I've gotta say my anxiety was well-founded."

"Sun, you're a decent student at Sanctum, and you've kept things straight since last year, right?"

"Yeah, but…the old stories of the Atlesian military haven't exactly been disproven."

Assembled outside the base's gates was a veritable group of 'fuck you' to Cordovin, ready to steamroll our proposal in. Accompanying Nora, Ren and I were Terra, Sun and Pyrrha, all informed of Yozakura's proposal and with roles to play in our appeal to Cordovin. As the scheduled time approached, the twin guards that I'd mentally dubbed the Tweedles high-stepped to the gates.

"We saw you here three days ago!"

"Please state the reason for your return!"

"OR EXIT THE PREMISES!"

After all present unplugged their ears, Sun turned to us. "Are they really this loud all the time?"

"Eeyup," I dryly replied, before stepping up to the bars. "We're here for our scheduled meeting with CCT officials regarding a proposal by Yozakura. Since this is an _official_ meeting, I trust that Atlas officials will be efficient in letting us in for our scheduled time."

"Indeed we shall, though I hope Specialist Cordovin's subordinates were not rude towards your group. They can be _quite_ intense. Now, if the gate could be opened, I will escort these individuals to their appointment personally." I knew that voice, but it took the gates opening and my view being unimpeded by the bars to confirm what I was seeing.

Her clothes were _exactly_ the same as in canon, down to her semi-sleeveless white coat, gartered pants and red brooch. Asymmetrical white bangs fell on the right side of her face, with a lone curl falling to the left to frame severe ice-blue eyes and a business face for the ages. At her left side hung an elegant saber.

There was no time to plan, only react. "Hello, Specialist Schnee. I was not informed during our last meeting with Specialist Cordovin that you would be present today, but I thank you for sparing the time to hear our proposal." I extended my hand to Winter Schnee, who looked somewhat surprised.

"…It is my pleasure," She replied, shaking my hand with a firm grip. "I was not aware that my recent appointment to the Special Operatives Unit was known as far as Mistral already. However, my superiors have seen fit to assign me to Argus temporarily, before I move to other kingdoms for other assignments."

'So she's a new hire. Gotta make note of that.' I smiled as I gestured for her to take the lead as we made our way inside the base. "A practical system, testing specialists' abilities to function in all environments before determining assignment distribution. As for your placement, I admit to being somewhat current in the goings-on of Atlas, and Winter Schnee's graduation from Atlas Academy and induction in the Atlesian military certainly makes for important news."

"Hmm, I see tales of my deeds precede me here. Hopefully such information has placed me in a kinder light, rather than the drivel attempting to connect my work to some scheme of my father's or that of the Schnee Dust Company." Winter's tone was disapproving, but a minute relaxing of the eyes showed some satisfaction of being known by other kingdoms in a potentially positive light.

"Rest assured, I base my judgment of individuals on their own deeds, rather than those of their family. Hard not to when I'm unsure of who on Remnant my family is." I paused meaningfully to let my statement sink in, before continuing. "If you wouldn't mind, I'll check in with my colleagues and friends."

I fell behind Winter slightly to join the rest, promptly having an arm slung over my shoulders as another pair of arms grabbed my own.

"Holy _dust_, I've never seen exchanges that eloquent from someone our age. Where and when did you become a master negotiator?" Sun questioned.

"Yeah, and how did you hear about Winter Schnee?" Nora added. "I never saw any research on her from your scroll's search history."

"Ok, first, we're having a conversation on privacy later." I glared at Nora. "Second, I _am_ pretty good at literature, so I'd hope my spoken word would kind of match my written word. And also, I'm trying not to broadcast this, but I heard a couple soldiers on the base talking about her arrival when we were here last." Or at least, that's what I was telling them.

Eyes blinked, before Sun's grin reached manic proportions. "You, are one sly guy."

"Yeah, well, that was round zero, out of a hundred. The main event is coming up, so stay sharp." Our walk was at an end as Winter led us into a conference room, one with a long table and plenty of comfortable chairs. At one end sat a clearly disgruntled Cordovin, with Winter taking the seat opposite her. The other end had Nora, Ren and I on one side, with Pyrrha, Sun and Terra on the other.

"Thank you all for coming. As you are aware, this meeting is to evaluate a proposal by the town of Yozakura for the installation of a CCT relay tower. I have been informed that an informal meeting took place three days prior, when some of those present thwarted an attack on Argus' own relay tower. Despite Specialist Cordovin declining your proposal, this official meeting is still in place, and after a request to Specialist Cordovin I have acquired and reviewed the details of the last meeting. However, I am aware that there are likely elements missing from the impromptu meeting, and thus this official meeting will be reviewed with the first." Winter might have said more, but the scrape of a chair rang out as Cordovin abruptly stood, before walking to the direct end of the table and placing her hands on it.

"Thank you, Ms. Schnee, for that…comprehensive explanation," Cordovin began, fingers smoothing some imaginary line on a table that I realize _must_ have been lowered to Cordovin's height. "I would like to further make these points succinct for those present. As the time of the Atlesian military, especially Specialists such as Ms. Schnee and myself, is extremely valuable and limited, you will present only those elements of your proposal unseen to my fellow specialist and I. Upon conclusion of your…presentation, Ms. Schnee and I will deliberate on whatever merits exist, and will either give our individual approval or disapproval. Should either one of us view such a proposal as beneficial for the kingdom of Atlas, the proposal in its entirety will be sent to the CCT headquarters in Atlas for final review. However, should both specialists determine that such a proposal is inefficient for the kingdom of Atlas to expend its resources and technology on, it will be rejected until such time that circumstances for both parties drastically change."

'So never then…' I deadpanned. Clearing my throat, I asked, "And in case both you and Specialist Schnee approve?"

Cordovin gritted her teeth and clenched her stubby fingers, before smoothing her face and hands out again. Then, in the falsest of sweet tones, she replied, "In the scenario where such an event _may_ occur, the _absolute_ approval of two _separate_ specialists will be sufficient evidence to the kingdom of Atlas that such a proposal is beneficial, and will be implemented at the earliest available opportunity. _However_, _we_ will be the ones to determine the _likelihood_ of such a situation. Now, let's see what further evidence you have to present to highlight your village as important enough to warrant consideration by the kingdom of Atlas."

I glanced at Ren and Nora, both offering thumbs up in support. 'Thank a ton, guys…' Standing, I walked around to the other end of the table, standing so that I was directly opposite Cordovin, whom I towered over despite being far younger than my actual age.

"Thank you for having us, specialists. You have already seen part of our proposal on the economic benefits involved, so I would like to proffer additional benefits. For starters, security. The beauty and uniqueness of Yozakura's flower viewing festival is such that citizens of other kingdoms would surely travel to visit such a sight. The economic benefits of such are known, this is true. But more than that, think of the emotions derived from such an experience. Think of the hope. Despite all that happens on Remnant, life endures. The butterflies will still come, and the flowers will still bloom. Anyone who sees the festival can understand that lesson. Yes, there is death, but there will always be life. And with those positive emotions and optimistic outlook, there are fewer negative emotions to attract the Grimm.

Now, such benefits are easy to espouse in the abstract, but there's the elephant in the room. Why install a relay tower in a small town when it could disappear from Grimm or bandit attacks? Well, there's the other prong of the benefit of security. Standing before you now are three, just three, members of Yozakura. However, we three teenagers have trained to defend ourselves, our town, and the people of Remnant. Along the way, we have performed remarkable feats. I present a confidential document provided by the Wind Path chief of police, along with a victim of the Cleansers' crimes a year ago." Sliding an envelope down the table, Winter intercepted it before it reached Cordovin's hands, opening it to reveal an admittedly hastily-requested letter by Jarrah explaining the confidential details of our deeds. Meanwhile, I stood to the side as Sun came around and stood in my position.

"Good afternoon ladies. My name is Sun Wukong, and I'm a student of Sanctum Academy, friend to Ren, Nora and Kouzai here, and a monkey faunus. More importantly however, I was a victim of a kidnapping by the Cleansers last year while in Wind Path. I can confirm having witnessed with my own eyes these three heroes take on an entire warehouse of armed traffickers, outsmarting and outmatching them three, four, five times over. They saved hundreds of faunus around Remnant from lives as slaves in dust mines. Heck, Kouzai here even fought a huntsman by himself to buy time for everyone to escape and for the police to arrive. The fact that they, and I, stand before you now shows how competent at protecting they really are." Bowing to Cordovin and Winter, Sun took his seat as I stepped back in, taking a moment to indulge in Cordovin's expression as her eyes bulged from the effort of speed-reading Jarrah's letter.

"You three were responsible for the Cleansers' downfall?" Winter asked softly, and I nodded as Nora yelled a quick "You betcha!" Winter smiled genuinely, free of any strain or malice. "Your service was felt and appreciated by the citizens of Atlas, human and faunus alike. When even my father denounces such cruel crimes, one knows the action is reviled the world over."

"It was our pleasure and duty to do so, both for the faunus of Anima, our friend, and Remnant as a whole," I spouted grandiosely, really, _really_ happy internally that things seemed to be working. "But if Atlas is less concerned on altruistic acts and more on the protection and advancement of their interests, rest assured that any investment made in Yozakura _would_ be protected. As Specialist Cordovin knows, our intervention at Argus' relay tower three days ago prevented sabotage by bandits and possible injury to a relay tower technician present here today. Terra, if you would?" Again, I stepped back, as Terra came this time and looked at both specialists, brand-new wedding ring on her finger.

"Specialists, I, Terra Cotta-Arc, am here before you today entirely because of the actions of these three brave teenagers. At the first hint of potential danger, they reacted accordingly, and swiftly incapacitated over a dozen armed and trained bandits before the tower suffered anything more than a broken window. Their intervention saved the lives of both myself and various Atlesian soldiers protecting the tower, whom were defeated by these same bandits. So you see, despite their age, these three teenagers were better than a squad of Atlesian soldiers at protecting others from criminals." As Terra re-seated herself, I added, "Not to mention, our travels to Argus were on foot, and involved various victories over multiple varieties of Grimm, including Ursai, Nevermore and Manticores."

"In addition, investment fosters growth, which in turn fosters investment," I continued. "As an amnesiac orphan with most of his memories clouded, I don't believe I would be wrong in saying that my future was bleak. However, thanks to the aid of Yozakura, along with my friends Nora and Ren, I was able to grow and develop, and in turn invest myself back into my friends and Yozakura. Atlas' installation of a relay tower will be an investment in Yozakura, one that will lead to growth beyond the economical, and will result in investment back in the Kingdom of Atlas. My last guest here today supports this belief. I believe she requires no introduction." For the last time, I stepped back as Pyrrha took my place, looking every bit the poised celebrity and warrior.

"Hello, everyone," she greeted amicably. "I'm sure Specialist Cordovin and Specialist Schnee are very intelligent, and may doubt the reliability of such a venture. But I assure you, Kouzai's belief in the growth of others rings true. For the kindness and belief they have shown me, I am more confident in myself now, and such a gift is something that I will repay in kind with my support. Likewise, believing in this town and its splendid citizens will surely lead to benefits returning to Atlas in spades."

As Pyrrha returned to her seat, I faced both specialists. "You have heard from me, and you have heard from others. Just remember, despite Yozakura's size and appearance, the benefits that it offers are well worth Atlas' investment. After all, big things can come in small packages, and what matters is quality, not quantity."

As I sat back down, I ignored the potential satisfaction of looking at Cordovin, despite having edged that last barb in. Instead, I glanced at a smirking Winter as she rose to address us. "Thank you for your proposal. If you would kindly remain in the room, Specialist Cordovin and I will exit, converse regarding the proposal, and return upon reaching a decision."

Walking around the table, Winter and Cordovin made their exit, Cordovin taking a moment to give me the stink-eye, before the door closed and we were alone. I then leaned back in the chair for all I was worth.

"Holy…can I go on the record and say I hate public speaking and negotiations?" I wheezed, breathing only becoming choppier as Nora leaned over and slapped me on the back.

"What are you talking about, that was AWESOME!" Nora exclaimed. "You were super-serious, just like with Preto!"

"Wait, Preto? Like Preto Reyes, the Dark King of Wind Path?" Terra questioned as Nora froze. At her sides, Ren and I both slumped into the table simultaneously.

"I deny everything until formally questioned," I groaned. 'Forgot Terra _does_ work in part for Atlas. That probably doesn't bode well for conversing with criminals.'

"I believe the important takeaway is the impressive persuasive argument that you gave to the specialists," Ren deflected.

"Yes, it was quite exciting to take part in a cruicial cultural decision," Pyrrha added.

"Well, the question is if either of them approve. Getting both would be best, but I'd settle for one," I leaned back again.

"Cordovin's a lost cause. I've seen the type, and all the persuasive charm on Remnant wouldn't change her mind. Winter Schnee though, I can tell she's considering it," Sun offered, hand on his chin while his tail scratched his hair.

"Well I'm not worried! The Schnee lady seems nice!" Nora said, and everyone else looked at her like she'd grown two extra heads. After a few more minutes of small talk, the doors re-opened as Cordovin and Winter stepped back into the room and walked to the other end of the table, showcasing drastically different heights.

"Thank you for waiting," Cordovin gritted out. That was a good sign. "After…_careful_ deliberation between Specialist Schnee and I, we have reached a verdict." Everyone leaned forward.

"The proposal…will be sent to Atlas for final review," Cordovin forced out, and everyone smiled, before Ren and I glared at Nora and Sun before they could let out a whoop. I stood and walked to Cordovin and Winter, extending my hand.

"Thank you for your assistance," I smugly grinned, shaking Cordovin's hand first. "We couldn't have done it without you."

I knew she'd been the one to decline the proposal again, but I was genuinely grateful to her for making me step up my game and pull out all the stops, making it more likely to be approved by Atlas. Cordovin, however, gripped my hand with surprising strength and glared up. "I'm sure the CCT officials of Atlas will take a _close_ look at your proposal, along with the prospects of your village."

I wrenched my hand away and turned to Winter. "It's good to look at the numbers and statistics, but sometimes you have to take a gut feeling, and sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith."

"Wise words, Kouzai," Winter replied, handshake just as strong, but much more gently applied. "Specialist Cordovin speaks the truth. CCT officials will _impartially_ review your proposal, pros and cons alike, and will observe Yozakura's growth in the near future. Do keep that in mind when you report back to your leadership."

"Will do, Ma'am. Thank you again." As I stepped back and the rest came to shake their hands, and in Nora's case try and fail to hug Winter, I took a moment to breathe in relief. 'All's well that ends well.'

… … …

"But I don't wanna leave! I wanna stay in Argus longer!" Nora exclaimed, grabbing onto Jaune and Sun, both looking very short of breath from the double-hug.

"Aww…gghhhh…thanks, Nora," Jaune wheezed, patting Nora's head.

"Wait for it…" Ren warned.

"Nora, are you trying to avoid going back because of the work we'll have to do?" I asked. Nora was suspiciously quiet.

"…No…" she replied, squeezing Sun and Jaune harder.

"There it is…" Sun wheezed.

Pyrrha, the Arcs, and the Cotta-Arcs just laughed off to the side. As Nora let go and both boys did their best imitations of "blond noodles", I turned to Pyrrha and nodded, receiving a grateful nod in turn. Walking over and hauling Sun up, I dusted him off and leaned in. "Tip for becoming friends with Pyrrha, don't mention her fame, and just treat her like a regular person. Oh, and if Neptune ever puts the moves on Pyrrha without her approval, Nora will crush _everything_ below the waist."

Sun blanched, gulped, then nodded as he jerkily returned to the group. Meanwhile, Jaune clambered to his feet, wincing from experiencing a Nora hug without Aura as I patted his shoulder. "Yeah, you'll want to learn about Aura early on, but don't become too reliant on it. Focus on mastering your body first. And good luck."

With a face full of confidence, Jaune smiled at me as he walked back to the Argus contingent and I returned to Nora and Ren.

"Do keep in touch!" Saphron called out, holding Terra close as both waved.

"Or we'll track you down ourselves," Rouge added. "And I'm sure you all would rather not deal with our…lively family in your hometown."

Ren and I quickly flashed through scenarios of the Arcs, Nora and Sun together in Yozakura, and the retaliatory measures that Ms. Fujiko would take. 'Oh dear gods…'

"In all seriousness, however, feel free to contact us if you are ever in need of assistance," Artoria finished, looking around at her family. "We would all love to help however we can."

'That's a powerful card to have, but hopefully it'll never come to that.' I gratefully nodded, as Nora, Ren and I finished our handshakes and hugs, before departing to make our way back.

… … …

We were now a couple weeks into our return trip to Yozakura, good news in hand. Travel was slow going though, as the weather was becoming cold in earnest. Luckily, we'd been loaded with winter clothing by the Arcs as a small token of thanks, along with a red-dust-insulated tent that kept the inside relatively warm. Beyond that, it was just a matter of stocking up on food and starting a fire while keeping watch at night. Thankfully, we were nearing Wind Path, and had stopped in a small village for a comfortable night's rest.

"It was such a great vacation! We have to go back next year!" Nora exclaimed, digging into a drumstick with food-vacuum enthusiasm. "We made friends, saw old ones, got my butt kicked TWICE, got a relay tower, saved a relay tower and got a buncha stuff!"

"And we shouldn't expect the Arcs to be so generous each time we see them…even if that does appear to be their family philosophy," Ren acknowledged. "In addition, we have not secured a relay tower yet, but merely succeeded in having the proposal be brought to the CCT headquarters. Whether our preparation and work is up to their standards remains to be seen."

"Well, considering that the whole thing ended up being eighty percent done by me, I'll either take that as a huge compliment or huge insult," I sighed, fiddling with the aviators that Pyrrha had given me as a souvenir. "Why don't we just invite them to Yozakura next year anyways? We just gave a presentation on how awesome it is to Cordovin and Winter, we might as well let them see it."

"…THAT SOUNDS LIKE THE BEST IDEA EVER!" Nora shouted, forcing some of the patrons to cover their ears as she jumped. Ren looked at me like I'd just opened the first seal. "We can show them the best Grimm-hunting spots, and the orphanage, and some of the local dishes, and the spot where Kouzai almost died-"

"Veto on that last one," I replied half-dryly, half-pleadingly. I would've added more if it weren't for the sounds of a commotion going on outside. I turned back to Nora and Ren. "This town was pretty secure when we came in, right?"

"Sturdy gates, natural barriers, and a functional town guard," Ren recited, before the noise grew louder and his eyes narrowed. "That sounds like shouting. Hostile shouting at that."

"Alright, let's go check to make sure nothing bad is happening." I rose and made for the door, joined by Ren who dragged along a forlorn Nora, still staring at her unfinished food. "I swear though, if this is just two drunken guys going at it-"

"You have two minutes to show yourselves before we attack!" All three of us froze just outside. The shouting was coming past the gates. "You hear us? The three brats from Argus better come out now, otherwise this whole town is coming down!"

Satisfying food turned to rocks in my stomach. "Grimmshit."

… … …

A dash to the gates had us stopping before a group of people assembled in front. A bunch of the town guards were arguing with each other, with one of the village elders mediating, along with a burly man holding a massive orange greats-wait…

"What's the situation?" I asked as we neared the group, pointedly trying to ignore the already-enormous teenager in green armor with an orange wall of a sword. The village elder turned to us.

"Haven't seen you three before. You the ones they-no, that doesn't matter. We have nearly two dozen bandits outside of our walls, armed and demanding three kids present themselves. I don't care whether or not that's you three, but no bandit tribe will invade our town. Not while our men still stand."

"We'd really rather not risk any lives," I replied hurriedly. "Did you already send word for help to Mistral or Wind Path? Soldiers or a huntsman would go a long way towards scaring these goons off."

"Naturally," the man grunted back, "but this area's patrol passed by a half-day ago. They aren't close enough to arrive before these bandits make their move. Damn bandits likely waited until help was furthest away. And no, Yatsuhashi, I will _not_ allow you to join the guards on the walls. Not only are you still in training, you're a terrible shot and your semblance won't help either. There are too many to go through from too far away."

Yatsuhashi dug Fulcrum, I think it was, into the ground in frustration. Meanwhile, I turned back to the elder. "So long as this area _is_ patrolled, they don't need to know that help is far away, only that it's _on its way_. If we make attacking look inefficient, maybe they'll back off. Just make sure your guards keep the people calm, otherwise this town will be swarming with Grimm." Without another word, I forced my nerves down and gestured towards Ren and Nora. Knowing they understood my intention, I ascended the stairs to the walls, coming to stand at the top as I looked down at the bandits.

'Definitely part of the tribe that we thrashed back in Argus.' I noted. I wasn't sure whether that'd make things easier or not, before I glared down. "Attention, men and women with a death wish! You wanted us, we're here. The autograph line's currently closed, please come back at the appointed time of never."

"Mouthy little brat!" one of the armored bandits raged back. "Come down here with your two friends, or we'll burn this bunch of hovels down!"

"Not likely!" I shot back. "You realize that reinforcements are on the way right? And before you even tussle with them, your _lovely personalities_ are drawing Grimm faster than your hygiene habits can draw fleas. You really want to take your chances trying to break through these walls when you've got guards in front, reinforcements above and Grimm behind you?"

"You don't know who you're messing with!" the same bandit shouted. "The Branwen Tribe isn't scared of anything. Not the Grimm, not huntsmen or soldiers, and definitely not some weak kingdom citizens!"

'…shit. The Branwen Tribe? We pissed off the _Branwen Tribe_?' I scanned the crowd three times over for the barest hint of a red dress, dust sheathe or nevermore mask, but by sweet mercy, she wasn't present at the moment. 'We need to work fast, and we need to work _now_.'

I glanced at Nora and Ren, nodded, and flashed some fingers behind my back as I channeled my Aura to my eyes again. 'Let's try this again…' At the end of the countdown, Ren and Nora opened fired with Stormflower and Magnhild, while I leapt into the air and swung Mirror's Edge towards the ground in a move reminiscent of Yatsuhashi's.

"SHOWTIME!" I shouted, impacting the ground as our combined firepower created craters around the gate. I swung in full arcs, my back protected as Nora leapt in and acted as my reflection. Meanwhile, Ren darted in and out of the fringes, laying painful fire and distracting bandits from the impending threat of massive rotating weapons. "Take them down hard and fast!"

I didn't know how long we had until _she_ showed up, but I wasn't taking any chances. Better to knock out as many as possible and try and deter her with numbers until reinforcements arrived. It was better than nothing. Helping things was the more natural flow of Aura to my eyes, the pressure less than the first time. Swings that might've looked like blurs filtered in sharper and smoother, and the adrenaline seemed to make the combatants around me look slower in comparison. Within a minute, aided by the guards on the walls, our three-man formation had managed to incapacitate the bandits.

"Ok, let's get back inside," I called, motioning for Nora and Ren to follow. However, they seemed uncertain.

"Shouldn't we tie these guys up, or at least take their weapons?" Nora questioned.

"No, we don't have time!" I nearly snarled to their shock. "We need to get back inside _NOW_, otherwise we're screwed!"

"Kouzai, what is going-"

Whatever else Ren had to say went unheard, as a massive ice blast shot out from the treeline and hit the walls, freezing the gates shut while forming an even higher ice barrier to block access to and from the walls. I whirled around, separating Mirror's Edge. In my shock, I stopped channeling Aura for a moment. That was all that _she_ needed.

Nora cried out in pain as a red blur dropped from the sky, a red katana cutting down her back and shattering her Aura in one strike. With a demonically angry visage, Ren jumped forward with Stormflower's blades, only for the sword to hook the undersides and halt all movement, before a yank disarmed Ren and cut his front in one smooth motion.

"SHIT!" I swore and staggered both longswords in downward slices, but was parried before a thrust into my collarbone overwhelmed my pain tolerance. Collapsing to my knees, I gazed up at the familiar sight. Having seen it through a screen didn't make the nevermore mask any less terrifying.

"Letting your guards down after taking out some small fry. Pitiful."

Red filled my vision as Raven Branwen swung outwards, and all turned to black.

… … …

… … …

"And that concludes my report, sir," Winter finished, staring straight ahead at her superior's hologram.

"Well done, Specialist Schnee. I can see from your exemplary work thus far that your early acceptance into Atlas Academy and induction into the Special Operatives Unit was far from a mistake." General James Ironwood paused to look at the report. "Though I am curious as to the proposal brought by Yozakura, as well as its presenters. You said that they were three teenagers, of age to be in combat school and skilled despite not attending any?"

"Yes sir. While the details of the proposal and style of the presentation were rougher than those of Atlas, the representatives of Yozakura in question, especially one, were polite and eloquent in their persuasion. If I hadn't known any better, I might have believed the speaker to be much older than his physical age. The letter from Chief Jarrah has also been corroborated. And the support these three garnered from various sources, be they students, celebrities or even employees of Atlas was compelling." Winter thought back to Kouzai's parting words.

"Indeed. However, precocious individuals wise beyond their years exist at any level of status or influence, as we both know," General Ironwood spoke almost teasingly. Winter fought a blush at the blatant reference as he continued. "In any case, another successful assignment. See to it that such outstanding work continues, and you will be rotated onto the next kingdom shortly."

"Thank you sir." Winter saluted, before returning to her neutral position. "If that concludes our meeting, I will allow you to return to your other important tasks."

"Oh, that does remind me, there is one last thing I wanted to mention. Less of a formal message and more parting advice."

"Sir?"

"There will be an independent huntsman arriving at Argus shortly after our meeting. He is under Headmaster Ozpin's employ, and I have authorized his presence at Argus' base. Just…try to get along with him, and barring that, tolerate him. Although he can be unorthodox and has a religious intolerance for authority, he is a veteran huntsman and his accomplishments speak for himself."

"…Very well sir. Thank you for the notification."

"Be well, Winter. We will speak again soon." As General Ironwood signed off, Winter's expression became quizzical at her superior's uncharacteristically vague advice. Exiting her temporary office, she walked through the base as she took a moment to check her scroll.

Another message from Weiss. Winter's brows furrowed as she read its contents. The White Fang's increasingly violent actions were causing distress for her father's company, and therefore her dear sister and brother. An unfortunate consequence during such a critical time of Weiss' life, where her ideals might be shaped and her future aspirations decided, regardless of her father's machinations.

"I will have to check in with her as soon as possible…" Winter murmured, before bumping into someone while mentally preoccupied. Hands circled to her back as unneeded support, and the scent of alcohol permeated her nose as a rough voice spoke. "Whoops, sorry there. Little hard to pick you out from the hallway when you're both decorated to the nines in white. The hair and skin don't help much."

Winter narrowed her eyes as she noted various…appearance choices precluding the man from being a member of the Atlesian military. An untucked dress shirt, dress pants and shoes painted the illusion of formality, but the expanse of visible chest and the accompanying tattered red cape denied that possibility. A crooked cross necklace and rings on his ringers confirmed his being a huntsman with the half-blade at his back. The spiky greyed hair, stubble on his jawline and dulled red eyes spoke of experience, or physical neglect.

"Anyways, the name's Qrow Branwen. Jimmy shoulda mentioned I was coming. Tell me, this fortress have a liquor cabinet? Need a little top-off before I head out."

"_Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith._"

Winter took a deep breath, mindful of the aroma of whiskey around the man. Not necessarily unpleasant, but recollections of a white-haired individual, sitting the garden with an ever-present bottle of wine unsettled her. "I am unsure, as I have also recently arrived at this location. However, if you would follow me, I can question the specialist stationed here to see if such an area exists. And my name is Winter Schnee."

The man shrugged, bowed as he looked up, a roguish smile on display. "Pleasure. Lead on then, Ice Queen." Tensing at the nickname, Winter nodded before pivoting and walking down the hallway, Qrow in tow.

Getting along with him was an uncertain matter at the moment. Tolerating him? She could perhaps do that.

**A/N: Yeeeeaaaahhhh, this next chapter is going to suck for the trio, I won't lie. Cheers to hopefully surviving. But hey, at least our favorite drunk made an appearance, even if Kouzai never met him. Now for the Omake.**

**OMAKE**

"Are you sure about this?" I asked, looking left and right for any signs of trouble. Where we were currently, that could come from many different sources.

"Kid, I swear that's your catchphrase at this point," Roman replied, strolling along the street, seemingly oblivious to the rundown state of his surroundings, or perhaps just indifferent to them. "If you know me, you know I'm sure about most things. And even if I wasn't, I've got contingencies coming out the wazoo."

"Normally, I'd buy that, but we're kind of operating a little outside the normal area," I replied, looking up in the air at the massive airborne coliseum, a technological marvel that Earth was still far from reaching. "You know, considering that we're in a _dust-damned different kingdom_ right now!"

A wallop on the head by Neo's parasol had me glancing down at her as she made some hand motions. By this point, I was beginning to understand Neo's nonverbal cues, and understood this one as "Don't sweat the small stuff, no one's going to stick up two badasses. You though…"

"Gee, thanks," I dryly replied. "And with security for the Vytal Festival around, it's not just our side of the law I'm worried about."

"Re-lax. I've got things handled. A freelancer such as myself needs to keep his name known throughout the kingdoms, and it's high time I checked back into Vacuo. Pickings from the Vytal Festival crowd are just icing on the cake. Now, lemme see…" Roman approached a stone building that looked exactly the same as the rest of the stone buildings. "…fourth from the right…this should be the one. Old friend of mine said he had a particularly difficult but lucrative heist for me to pull off, one that'd secure my reputation in Vacuo and beyond for a long while that he's been waiting for. He's just inside."

"Uhh, what exactly is so tough to steal in Vacuo that he was waiting for?" I wondered aloud. Roman turned around and grinned, a glint of emerald showing his sense of challenge was alight again.

"He's waited specifically for the Vytal Festival to be held in Vacuo, so that strengthened security in some places will naturally mean looser security in others. In particular, he wants us to go after a large quantity of metal in storage, something that'll really sell on the markets."

I froze. "Oh gods, we're robbing some national reserve of a ton of gold."

"Not quite." Somehow, Roman's grin became wider. "We're going after something even rarer. Some ore exclusively found in Vacuo, and makes for the toughest, most unbreakable weapons and armor on Remnant. Adamantium."

_Still have so much left to learn. So much left to solve…_

… … …

**A/N: If there was one group that Kouzai would accompany to the 39****th**** Vytal Festival for whatever reason, it'd be Roman and Neo. And here's the appearance of another rare metal. On another note, who's got catchy names for the other perspectives. Gizmo Gear had Beaconpoint for Ozpin and Glynda, but I'm fresh out of creative naming sense for the other two.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 10/14/19**


	11. Chapter 8: Those Living In Glass Houses

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Hello everyone! Happy Yom Kippur to any who celebrated it, and Happy Monday to everyone in general.**

**Chapter 8: Those Who Live In Glass Houses**

**Chapter Date 10/14/19**

The throbbing of a magnificent headache pierced the veil, and I jackknifed to a sitting position. 'Fuuuuu…there's the collarbone pain.' A quick check confirmed my journals and phone still on me, thank the gods.

"Kouzai! You're awake." I turned to see Ren and Nora in separate cages. Meaning…

"How fortunate. I was beginning to wonder if you were so weak that I killed you." Ice shot through my veins, and I spun to face the familiar voice.

Enough red and black to make Ruby jealous. Impractical clothing like a dress and heels mixing with combat attire like gauntlets. Waist-length feathery dark hair and crimson eyes like Qrow's and Yang's. Even without the nevermore mask, the dust sheathe by her side was a grim reminder.

Raven Branwen was here.

"Well, now that everyone's awake..." Raven placed a hand on her weaponless hip. "How did you three know my men would be at Argus' relay tower?"

"Why should we tell you anything?" Nora growled back, gripping the bars of her cage. Raven lifted an unimpressed eyebrow.

"Because if you don't, then I have no use for you," Raven stated matter-of-factly. "And if you're not useful to me, then there's no point in keeping you." Keeping us alive was implied.

"We have no guarantees that you would let us live even if we did have information for you, so your premise is flawed," Ren replied, remaining in a meditative position. Nora and I could tell that his posture was far too tense with worry, though.

Raven smirked. "True. You must be the brains, and your girlfriend here the brawn. What does that make you?" Her question was directed with a stare at me.

One of the top ten strongest beings on Remnant was questioning me. One should show proper respect.

"At times, I'm the intentional comic relief. Other times, I'm just the guy that asks the curious questions, such as what a bunch of bandits wanted with a CCT relay tower in the first place?" Unfortunately, I wasn't in a particularly respectful mood. It was tough to hate most of the characters from RWBY, but hating Raven? Easy.

Plus, my question was valid, and it'd been driving me nuts. 'Terra likely didn't experience something so traumatic in canon, so why the hell were bandits here this time, and why did Raven send them? Because she _definitely_ sent them.'

Raven's smirk slid off her face, artificial as it was. A calculating eye took its place, likely appraising my value. Her other hand fell close to her sword handle. "I suppose that is a question worth asking, isn't it? It's just too bad that I don't have to tell you anything. Annoying, isn't it? The difference between us is though, you can't force information out of me. My tribe though…we can force things out of you."

Nora's breath hitched, and her fingers released the bars as she curled up, shaking. I'd only seen her so fearful one time in the show and on Remnant, and judging by Ren's expression its reappearance wasn't good. Mental speed chess then. "You could certainly torture us, and I have no doubt your tribe has experience in such cruel acts. However, something tells me it's not exactly _good_ experience. Even if you tortured me, there's no way to know if my information will be truthful, and believe me, I'm your only option for information. Touch either of them and you'll never hear any truth from me."

Ren's eyes widened at my nonchalant stance on _torture_, while Raven's eyebrows drew upwards. Then she smiled amusedly, bringing her hands together to slowly clap. "Impressive. I've met grown men with less stoicism and sense than you. You're right, admittedly. We have our fair share of liars, thieves, robbers and killers, but none actually skilled in torture. But we have people here skilled in recognizing lies from truth, including me, so that makes your advantage moot."

"Does it now?" I asked smugly, enjoying being able to fuck with _Raven Branwen_ of all people, despite the catastrophically dire straits. "I'd like to think I have a rather good poker face. I could tell you that I'm actually an old man from another planet, and I wouldn't be giving anything away, would I?"

Oh, I enjoyed her narrowed eyes as she tried to find my tells, but it's a good thing I wasn't fracking lying about any of that! 'Just a different perception on what old is, which I'm _definitely not_!' This time, the smile that disappeared off her face wasn't fake, making it all the more sweet.

"Fine, I'll admit that you seem to have experience lying. So tell me, if I can't force information out of you or them, and I can't tell if the information you _might_ give me is truthful, why should I keep you all alive?"

'Welp, here goes everything.' I smiled. "Because I'm willing to exchange the information, in return for our release. For every question of yours I answer, you free one of us."

This time, Ren was the one to suck in a breath, given the audacity I possessed to make the damn offer in the first place. Raven, on the other hand, let out a chuckle. "And why, would I make a deal even remotely benefitting you? I think you've forgotten which of us is in the cage."

"And I think you're forgetting that _you're_ the one who wanted information from _us_," I shot back. "You want to figure out why and how we were at the relay tower, because you needed something from it. If it was so urgent that you'd send bandits to attack the Atlesian military, you must be pretty damn desperate. Here, I'll even answer your first question; we didn't know _your_ men would be at the tower, we just knew there was trouble."

Raven's red eyes did their best to bore into my mind for the barest hint of a lie. Seeing none, she stood still for a moment, then two, three…before turning her head. "Get the green boy's cage open. He seems like the physically weakest of the three of them."

Immediately, a bandit with a shiner of a cheek bruise limped to the cages, slotting a key in and opening Ren's as he dragged Ren out. I tensed as I noticed Ren's eerily calm expression; he was using his semblance. Meaning, he didn't trust himself not to get emotional right now. 'Well, if that didn't highlight our situation…'

"Very well. If you want to play games so badly, so be it. Some of my men saw you in the presence of the Atlesian military multiple times after defending the relay tower. What connection do you have with the Atlesian military?"

'Not the question I was expecting, but the fact that she asked means there's something she's digging for. But what?' Racking my brains wasn't yielding an answer, so I went with distorting the truth. "We were sent on a mission to meet with Atlesian officials, and after thwarting your attack on the relay tower we gave our report to the specialist in charge, and returned three days later to meet with a second specialist before receiving further directives."

Raven nodded, seemingly digesting my words and playing them over in her head. Then she nodded to the man, who walked over and unlocked Nora's cage. Nora shakily walked out, coming to stand by Ren as the two stared at me, fearful for themselves, each other, me, the entire current situation. But all I had to do was answer one more question.

"Last question then. Why have you been lying this entire time?"

I couldn't help stiffening as I gazed at Raven, who looked victorious.

"You're wondering how I was able to gauge that you were lying from your tells. The truth is, you're a good liar, and either you have no tells or nothing that you said was a lie. Now, _everyone_ has tells, and just because nothing you said was a lie, doesn't mean that it was truthful. So instead of gauging _you_, I gauged your words. Giving me information, but keeping aspects of your statements vague, either to intrigue me or hide some other intention. Well, consider me intrigued, but also know that the game is over. No more half-truths for you."

'She won this round, no doubt on that. But…' I glared up at her smug expression. "I distorted my answers to make it seem like the Atlesian military had some sort of attachment to us. If you thought they were coming to rescue us, you'd be more likely to let us go, unless you wanted to have Atlas come down on you."

Her smug expression remained, but her eyes narrowed. "It's true having Atlesian forces trying to track us would make our lives difficult, but only if Mistral gave Atlas the jurisdiction to find you, which they never would. An oversight on your part." Russet stared back at crimson, before Raven finally waved her hand. "Something more believable. I for one, am tired of dealing with chessmasters, and despite your cunning, you're still quite a few steps behind the best I've faced. A mere child."

'Considering that chessmaster is thousands of years old, I'm not torn up by the comparison.' I was pulled out of my cage and pushed into Ren and Nora, who caught me with bound wrists. I straightened and turned back to Raven. "Well? Would you like to ask questions now to cut us free?"

"No…as I said, the game is over." Raven motioned with her head, and the three of us were shoved away from the prison area into the muddy snow covering the center of their camp. Around us, dozens of bandits emerged from their tents and fires, the reflecting light doing wonders to highlight the bruises, gashes and slings most had. "This is the last question, because your answer won't matter. Why did you ever think I would play on close to your terms, or not renege on our trivial agreement? A foolish sentiment, one that got you and your friends killed. You can take them away and shoot them."

'Fuck, nonono. Not HAPPENING!' I blurted out the first thing in my head. "What's the matter? Too scared of us? Or too weak to do it yourself?"

'Really, brain? I just called out Raven Branwen, the fricking bandit queen of Anima!' My thoughts crawled to a halt, owing to the red katana at my throat.

"You dare call me scared, like a little girl? You would call me _weak_?" Raven growled. Ren and Nora tried launching themselves at Raven, but sheer numbers held them down.

'Fuck it, time to go all in!' "Well, what other reason do you have for executing us like animals? We've already beaten your men in two separate occasions. Once is happenstance, and twice is coincidence, but if we fought your men and beat them a third time…three times is proof. Proof that your tribe and you aren't as strong as everyone thinks you might be."

"I beat all three of you singlehandedly," Raven replied, fingers clenched around a blade that my collarbone _still_ ached from. "And don't try to play your way to a chance at freedom. The weak die, and the strong-"

"Survive right?" I spit back, drawing close to Raven's face. My Aura prevented her blade from cutting my neck, at the cost of my voice becoming a little raspier. "Because your tribe is _so_ strong, right? Pillaging innocent villages, cutting down anyone in your way. But as soon as people even slightly capable of defending themselves against your men show up? You take them down yourself since your men can't. Then you tie them up so they can't fight back. Now you're having them drag us away to die by firing squad. Petty revenge, a real morale-booster, isn't it?"

"You think," Raven hissed, "that I'm putting on a show for my tribe? For Anima itself? That our way of life is just a game?" Low, angry voices were meshing around the loose circle of bandits.

At this, I laughed, and the blade scratched the Aura around my throat, something I ignored for now. "Isn't it all just a game, just smoke and mirrors for the masses? You want everyone, your men, Anima, even you, to think your tribe is invincible. And sure, your men have fighting experience, enough for say forty of them to take on a town of a hundred or more. But what happens if they had to fight five hundred? How about a thousand? You talk a big game about survival of the fittest, but it's all just a numbers game on who has more pieces. So well played, chessmaster."

Raven shot away from me as if burned, ceasing the pressure at my throat. She faced away from me, though I knew my words, especially my last jab comparing her to Ozpin, got to her. The buzz around the camp was still low, but had shifted from anger at me to confusion. I didn't care whether they believed me, but so long as they _wondered_…

Then Raven turned back around, and her face was back to its default superior, smug expression. 'That's either good, or really, _really bad_.'

"So you think my men are only strong because of our numbers, hmm? Or because we're merely armed?" Raven's tone was closer to a purr like Cinder's, which made every dang alarm in my head go off simultaneously. "Well, if you want to prove that so badly, be my guest. You will fight one-on-one with a member of my tribe, and prove definitively that your words are empty."

This was what I'd been aiming for! But…

"We can't have you fight me, obviously. No one would call that fight fair." Raven began, and despite her vehemence against 'theatrics', she was buttering her men up. "And you three have injured most of my men in your last two encounters. I _could_ set you against one of my personal guards, but that would be _unfair_, wouldn't it? No, why not have a child fight another child."

The bandits began cheering, as Ren and Nora looked around in confusion. Me though…the cold sweat down my back made sense now. 'No…she's not…'

"We'll have you face…Vernal," Raven announced to the crowd, as the girl in question stepped out to join her. Her attire was marginally different to her appearance in the show, likely because it was winter. Instead of a torn white shirt under her brown vest, it was now whole, covering the bird tattoo likely already on her left arm. Her maroon pants were also rolled down symmetrically, her knee guards and boots still present. She brought her gloved hands up and cracked her knuckles, highlighting the ice-blue eyes and the sneer on her face.

"Now, my tribe already knows that Vernal has…special abilities. To make it _fair_, she won't use them. It'll just be her and her weapons, against you and yours. Just how you want it." Raven signaled, and a bandit cut through my wrist bindings, and I caught Mirror's Edge as it was tossed to me.

'Aww, grimmshit. Exactly what I asked for, in the worst possible way. She played her men like a fiddle; win or lose, the tribe comes out looking peachy.' I rubbed my wrists, before levelling Mirror's Edge at Vernal in its greatsword form. 'Need to use every card I have to catch her off-guard."

Raven slipped her Nevermore mask on, before walking to her tent's entrance, towards a comfortable chair placed down for her. The rest of her tribe backed away to the fringes of the camp, leaving the large circle in the center clear for Vernal and I. Ren and Nora sat on the ground, close to Raven's tent and on the opposite end of the circle from my position.

"Time to see how you fight without _your_ allies," Raven called out, a raucous cheer coming from the bandits. "Though, I'm sure you're not used to such hostile intent directed at you, so let's even the field. Vernal, if you would?"

Vernal smirked, then raised her hand in the air.

'Raven said no maiden powers in the fight so…no…' "NOOOOOOOOO!"

The clouded sky above grew even darker as the only warning. "NORAAAA! REENNNN!"

I flooded my entire being with Aura and launched forward, just as the sky lit up. Adrenaline and Aura in my veins, I was just fast enough to watch the lightning bolt come down, and far too slow to do anything as it lanced towards Ren. With a flash, the air suddenly reeked of ozone.

Vernal, currently in front of me, said something as she lashed out with a chakram. Compared to the inertia generated by my Aura and rage though, she might as well have been moving in slow motion. Mirror's Edge slammed into her guard, and I pivoted to shove her as far as my arms allowed before dashing to Ren…

…Only to see him gaping in shock on the ground. Knocked over, yes, but clearly unhurt. But that meant…

My eyes slid to the the superheated ground where Ren had stood seconds earlier. At the center of the impact zone laid Nora, on her side and unmoving. I dropped to my knees and grasped her arm while Ren remained where he was, aghast.

"If you want to tend to your friend, I suggest you do your best to fight Vernal," a voice came from above, and it took a second or two to remember. Raven, the _real_ Spring maiden. _Raven_, who'd struck Nora with lightning…wait…

Ren let out an unearthly howl, before jumping from the ground, hands bared and thrumming with Aura. Before he could get close to Raven, I caught his leg and dragged him to the ground. "Ren! REN! Snap out of it, _dust_-" Seeing no other option, I slapped his face, then brought him in for a hug while angling his face towards Nora.

"Listen to me," I whispered into his ear. "Nora is _alive_. I know it. Stay with her and protect her. _Do not_ jeopardize her survival." A crash behind me alerted me that my reprieve was up, and I shoved Ren towards Nora as I twisted back around.

Vernal was pushing off the remains of a ruined wooden structure as she walked back into the ring. "Quite an arm you've got. With your guts and skills, you would've made a good addition to the tribe." I opted not to reply, letting the point of Mirror's Edge do the talking. At opposite ends of the ring again, I tensed. Only…

Maybe it was repeatedly focusing on my eyes. Maybe it was being _absolutely pissed_. Maybe it was just time. Whatever the reason, as I channeled Aura to my eyes again, something clicked into place and the world slowed.

Actually, legitimately slowed. As Vernal rushed forward, each of her steps took nearly a second, and the bandits forming the ring's perimeter were lethargic in their jeers and fist-pumping. I tore my eyes away for just a moment and looked out at the almost-hovering snowflakes in the air like so many stars.

'No way...this is my semblance? Time dilatation?' I had no qualms, so long as I could sic it on Vernal as she closed in. I raised Mirror's Edge to block her chakram …

'What the…nono, hurry up! Crap, damn…no, can't make it!' Mirror's Edge was only halfway to a guarding position, but Vernal was almost on me! I bailed, diving to the side, and it was this action that clued me in.

'_Dust_, why am I moving so…I'm not moving slow at all, am I? Everything around me, including _me_, is moving at regular speed! Which means…I'm just seeing things quicker!' Coming out of my roll, I turned as Vernal threw her chakram like a freaking boomerang. This time, I moved to bring Mirror's Edge up immediately. Like there was some sort of delay in my nerves, my weapon moved at a snail's pace, getting into position as the chakram inched into my guard. With a low, warbling clang, the chakram was knocked away and spun back as Vernal caught it.

'Ok, _not_ time dilation. The only thing that's moving fast is my eyes! And well, my brain I-OH DANG!' I ducked behind Mirror's Edge as Vernal spread her feet apart and pointed her chakrams at me. Having seen the show, I shielded myself behind my weapon as concentrated fire dust streaked towards me. Weylin's craftsmanship held up though, as the bullets dispersed against the blade or ricocheted off.

'Ok ok, rules, set rules to this. Only my eyes are faster, so I need to move like things are in real-time because they _are_. More time to see and think means more time to plan though. So in short…" Using Mirror's Edge like a riot shield, I advanced on Vernal, who switched her weapons' back to melee. As she lunged forward, I watched until… 'THERE!'

I separated Mirror's Edge just as Vernal entered my range, and watched her eyes widen as I parried her first strike before slashing her torso. Her Aura shimmered and her face contorted slowly in pain, but she brought her chakrams around to fire at point-blank range. I lodged my right longsword in between, then wrenched my blade as hard as I could, disarming her. As Vernal recovered, I rushed her for all I was worth.

Slash across stomach. Elbow block her kick. Front kick to gain distance. Slash down, use momentum to kick. So long as I was already in motion, I could fluidly readjust to answer her moves with my own.

After that last kick, Vernal backflipped to reclaim her weapons, taking my other longsword and throwing it towards the bandits. As she charged back towards me, I stopped Aura-reinforcing my longsword, as the other began shooting backwards. Vernal focused on trying to gun me down, and despite my newfound ability to perceive bullets as they shot towards me, I could only deflect a portion, taking one in the arm and torso. As slowed shouts reached my ears, I watched Vernal turn and dive away as my longsword sought its other half. Plucking it out of the air, I leapt forth and front-kicked Vernal onto her back. Before she could move, I grunted and sliced down with both longswords towards her neck. Stopping just before actually impacting her Aura, she was caught in an inseparable, sharp pillory, both blades' at her neck, the handles out of her reach and the opening too small to fit her head through. Wrenching her chakrams out of her hands, I threw them aside and re-grasped my longswords as I closed my eyes, stopping the flow of Aura. When I opened them, the world was normal again.

"What the hell was that!"

"Vernal, get up!"

"You little brat, I'm gonna grab your neck and-"

As normal as a bandit camp could be. I turned, facing Raven as a glance showed Ren, although stunned at my victory, taking care of Nora. Further glances showed Ren actually holding Nora down on his lap and using his semblance to keep her from squirming from the influx of electrical energy into her system. 'Oh, thank the gods her semblance activated.'

"So, Raven, any more caveats or conditions?" I called out, digging my blades deeper into the ground to highlight the situation. Raven, who looked supremely displeased that I'd actually won, slowly rose from her impromptu throne.

"You…those eyes…"

'Well damn, she's sharp to pick that out so fast.' "It's my semblance. You like?" My statement seemed to both relax and unnerve her at the same time.

"So your eyes aren't naturally silver then?" Raven asked, and I started, before dropping slightly to study my reflection in Mirror's Edge. Concentrating, I activated my semblance.

'Oh…OH…yeah, I can see why that would bother her…' Staring back at me were two orbs of shining silver, brimming with Aura similarly to what actual silver-eyed warriors looked like. Faking it would've been useful, but I'd already shown my hand. "Nope, I've got beautiful brown eyes. But if you have any more questions, I'll be happy to not leave my scroll number on the way out."

"And why, would I let you leave? After the disrespect you've shown my tribe and the disrespect that you have shown _me_. Don't forget, you three are still the-"

"Anyone have the time?" General shock abounded at my casual interruption of Raven's spheal. "Seriously, someone has to have a watch or scroll. I mean, you guys _literally_ took our scrolls when we were knocked out."

Some brave soul that might've been Shay D. Mann piped out, "It's about a quarter past one-errr…"

"If you wanted the time of your death, I would be happy to leave it on your gravestone," Raven said, voice tight with thinly-disguised anger.

"That's pretty funny, ha ha. And everyone said that Raven Branwen had no sense of humor," I said to the now utterly silent tribe, likely waiting to see what kind of avant-garde art Raven would turn me into. "But seriously, that was a good joke. Saying you'd be kind enough to give us gravestones if you killed us, and saying you _could_ kill us."

"Have, you, forgotten, that _I_ beat all three of you myself? Killing you would be child's play," Raven growled.

"It _would_ be, if your ass wouldn't be on the line," I replied coolly. "I asked for the time to get an idea of how much time _you_ had, not me. You see, when we left Argus, and on the way there too, I knew there was every chance something we encountered might be too much for us. Grimm, bandits, natural disasters. So naturally, we set up an emergency contact system. Every week without fail, I'd call our hometown, and I'd call Preto Reyes in Wind Path to check in. Yes, we know Preto, try to keep your jaws off the ground.

Scrolls signals can get spotty at times out in the wilderness. Calling once a week ensured that we were actually safe, and was doable because there was passable signal at _least_ once a week."

"The reason I mentioned all that is…" I smiled at Raven, some hopefully sharp teeth on display. "The deadline for this week was about…thirteen and a quarter hours ago, while we were unconscious. So tell me, how long can you spend on us three before you have to run with your tail between your legs?"

There were a great many gasps around the camp, and even Raven looked unsettled before she glanced to the side. Regaining her smug smile, she replied, "If this system was in place, then why do your friends look so surprised by it? Hiding secrets from them too, hmm?"

"Uhh, duh," I shot back, surprising Raven. My eyes stayed away from Nora and Ren; I didn't think I could sell this if I saw their expressions. "Of course I kept it secret. They already have reservations on _knowing_ Preto, but to hear I was calling the guy weekly? That's a bunch of nagging that I didn't wanna deal with. After all, everyone's entitled to their own secrets, right Raven?"

I couldn't have possibly loaded that statement with more hidden meaning, and Raven seemed to grasp that as her eyes narrowed to slits, her hands clenched. "You're still lying. There's no way you thought of something like this. You're just-"

"I'm just a child, right? Just stupid, and naïve, and weak, and…oh wait, have I been any of those things so far? Let's take count. I would certainly hope you don't think I'm stupid, considering I nearly outsmarted you once already, before making a 'mistake' and revealing we weren't tight with the Atlesian military. Big whoop. Naïve? I would hope not, since all your threats and bluster and I haven't so much as batted an eye. And weak? Well, Vernal can give her opinion on that, right Vernal?" I closed the gap between the blades just a smidge more, the edges now pricking her neck.

"So, not a good track record, Ms. Branwen. Or would that be Mrs., because I'd be shocked if no one tried putting a ring on you." More loaded barbs, and the closer Raven got to cracking. "Now, I _could_ be lying about calling to check in, because I'm 'just a child'. But seriously, a child especially knows to call home. And I'm really not lying about knowing Preto. Really, the next time you have a chat with him you can ask about me. So I could be lying about all of this just like I was with our game earlier, but is that something that you want to bet the survival of your tribe on? _Your_ survival on?"

Everything was silent, and the falling snow only exacerbating that. Only Raven's heavy breaths were audible from my position. And all of a sudden, they weren't.

I didn't even have the time to activate my semblance before a monstrously powerful slash came at me from the side, knocking the one blade that I pulled from the ground aside. A roundhouse kick came next, and I barely grasped my other blade before the blow collided with my arm, sending me flying across the whole freaking ring.

"Regardless of how much time we have, it won't take much to kill you at least," Raven seethed, crimson eyes just inches from mine. I jumped back and activated my semblance, but Raven chased me like a homing bullet, slashing my blades aside as easily as Nora with Magnhild, and much quicker. "Weakness one: it doesn't matter if your eyes can catch motion quicker, if you can't react in TIME!"

A thrust slipped past my escrima form, digging into my solar plexus. I hunched, short of breath as the pain broke my concentration. A mistake as Raven's kick rocketed upwards and whipped my chin back full speed, the impact dropping me to my knees. "Weakness two: having to concentrate on using your semblance means a good hit will knock you out of it."

Whirling around, Raven went for a full-strength slash for my skull, and even activating my semblance, all I could do was guard weakly with Mirror's Edge, as my own sword knocked into my face blunt-end first, momentum sending me rolling to the side. Finally stopping on my back, I tried activating my semblance, but balked as my perception flickered between normal and fast. Soft footfalls on snow came closer. "Weakness three: your semblance is still a semblance. Without sufficient Aura, it is lost to you."

She hovered over me, katana pointed downward at my head. "So tell me, despite all your plans, all your lies, all your skills…how does it feel to be so weak?"

'Ah damn. Less than two years on Remnant. I guess that's a good run.' No one was coming to save us, after all. But as a dead man walking, there was still something I could do. "I don't know, you tell me. At least I won't die a coward."

CRUNCH

I went flying with my Aura shattered. Hitting the ground, I turned sideways to see Raven's leg outstretched. "KAAAAAAGGH…" 'A kick? That's all that was?'

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU'RE CALLING A COWARD!" Raven shrieked, advancing on me. I pulled myself to my feet, holding Mirror's Edge out. "I am _here_, I've _survived_ because I'm strong enough, to do, what others _won't_!" Every few words came with a slash. Zero finesse. _All the power_. My arms creaked with every blow.

The dam broke, and my thoughts on Raven Branwen poured out. "Really? Does that include leaving your allies behind? Your _friends_?" Raven's onslaught paused as I struck a nerve, but I was on a roll.

"I mean, look at you! Heels, a skirt, fancy dust weaponry and that _mask_? You just scream huntress, or the illegal equivalent. Either way, you must've had people you trained with, people you trusted, _friends_. I see a scant number of those here, so where are they, huh? Did you _survive_, by leaving them?" Evidently the wrong thing to say, as Raven's fury reached a controlled peak. Controlled only to prevent her maiden powers from spilling out.

"Tell me, are they dead?" 'Like Summer…' A particularly vicious slash knocked one longsword away.

"Or worse, are they alive?" A brutal heel jabbed my wrist, another kick sending my other longsword tumbling as the pieces rejoined away from me.

"Who'd you leave behind, huh? I'm not seeing any family here, either!" Wrath filled her eyes now, as she actually sheathed her sword.

"A brother then, or si-GUUHHHH!" A hook into my ribs left me gasping for breath. A second gauntleted hand slammed into my cheek from the opposite side. I hit the snow, and watched pristine white darken with red. But only for a moment.

"How about a husband? Or wife, I don't ju-!" I wasn't even fully up before a chopping right cut me down again. This time, a heel pressed down on me, and cruel eyes leaned forward, strength crushing my ribs and stopping any movement.

'Coup de grace then…' "Any children? I don't see any around here, 'less you count Vernal…a son maybe, or is it a daughter?" Murder clouded her eyes, and she dropped down on me. No weapons needed…

_**THUD**_

_**POP**_

_**CRUNCH**_

_**SNAP**_

…_**drip…drip…**_

Everything…haze…still…one thing…

"Hey…" I murmured, unsure if my un-swollen eye actually saw her. I couldn't breathe, so maybe still on me? "Was running…worth it?...How's…life…treating you?"

The mirage wiped tears away, flicked her hands. Something wet hit my face and eye. I could breathe.

Pushing through the pain of a dislocated shoulder, I used my one good arm to reach a sitting position. Wiping my face, the flecks were actually my own blood, and a broken nose made breathing difficult, painful and bloody. Then I remembered the cause of my trip through the meat grinder.

Raven was off to the side, staring up at the slow snowfall, unmoving and unspeaking. All those around her remained silent as well, meaning the only one making noise right now was the half-dead mess that was yours truly. I rose to my feet, nursing broken ribs and some deep bruising on my left leg. I waited, ready to go kicking and screaming.

Raven slowly turned, took a step…and walked past me. Past the ring. Past a restrained Ren and massively restrained Nora. All the way into her tent.

…Welp, if I was dying, might as well get a last message out. Hobbling over to Nora and Ren, I half-collapsed in front of them.

"Hey guy…sorry for the mess," I weakly chuckled, though my ribs hurt like a bitch. "Push comes to shove, I'll get her to release you two if she kills me. Honor system or something…"

"As touching as that sounds…" Raven drawled, before three objects slid to our feet in the snow…our scrolls. "That won't be necessary."

Then exploding pain assaulted my head, and I clutched my face. "UUUUUUHHHHH…what the hell?" Bending over, I put a hand down in the snow, landing on something metal, and cold. I raised it to my eye, and blinked at the barrel, spotted with blood.

"Did you…chuck a pistol at my _broken nose_?"

"You're in desperate need of a ranged option, and you'd likely sooner shoot yourself if guns were added to your weapon. That's a Tyro .45, one of Remnant's most common handguns. One of the oldest too. It's been sitting and gathering dust in my tent for years, so I'd rather some poor child use it to protect themselves from all the scary things in the world." The sarcasm was thick, but I was still baffled.

"Don't you need this? And why let us go in the first place?" I winced as my dislocated shoulder throbbed, reminding me it existed. "Not for nothing, but our tussle wasn't exactly going my way."

"Because the strong survive, and you've proven yourselves as strong," Raven espoused, before frowning. "Because you beat Vernal, and killing you on the coattails of such a fight _would_ be using numbers, not to mention that you'd be severely outmatched. Because I feel apologetic for nearly sending you to the afterlife. My reasons matter not, only that I have them. As for ranged combat, well, I'm quite capable of holding my own without a firearm, but if needs be I have…options."

'That you do.' I took the pistol and tried firing to confirm there were no bullets whatsoever. Then I placed the gun in the until-now empty holster I wore. Seeing Mirror's Edge still glomped together, I limped over to properly set the halves back together. As I did, low buzzings of discontent spread around the camp, and Ren and Nora got tenser, if that were even possible.

"Does anyone have any issues with my decree?" Raven challenged, and all talk ceased. "Understand now, they cleared the trial I presented them, and so they shall survive by being strong. Anyone wishing to defy my ruling can do so against them."

If any of Raven's bandits considered it, Ren's twitching fingers on Stormflowers' triggers, along with the small sparks of electricity hopping across Nora's skin dissuaded them from mentioning it. As a group, and using my valuable weapon as a walking stick, we slowly made our way to the camp's gates.

"Just remember, children," Raven called as we stood at the opening gates. "I may not be so merciful the next time we meet."

"You weren't this time, either," Nora muttered as we passed through back into the forests of Anima. Once we were clear and away from the camp, I sagged as the need to look tough fled.

"Kouzai! Nora, see if you have signal and can determine the travel time to the nearest village. I'll check on Kouzai." As Nora fiddled with her scroll, Ren did a preliminary examination of the results of back-to-back fights with Vernal _and_ Raven. Suffice to say…

"I'm amazed you're still conscious," Ren stated frankly, brushing various injuries. "Not counting the plethora of bruises and scrapes, you have a dislocated shoulder, broken nose, broken ribs-"

"Ren, with all respect, I don't need a list. _Everything_ feels like it got pounded with Magnhild. And I'm still awake because I'm partially certain the pain would just make me nauseous. If it gets any worse, you'll be the first to know." Ren looked as though _he_ was the one who'd just gotten beaten.

"Ren! Kouzai! We don't have signal!" Nora zipped back to us as, hands pressed together as if praying for forgiveness.

"Guess we're hoofing it," I sighed. I noticed Ren still had something he wanted to say. "Hey Nora, try circling our position, maybe a hundred meters out. The signal might be better out there, or maybe with a little elevation.

"You got it!" Nora exclaimed, glad to put her unexplained burst of energy to work as she bounded away. Ren turned, his expression indicating he was still unamused.

"Ren, I just took enough hits to the head that my Aura will focus on that before the rest of my _lovely_ injuries." I gestured gingerly with my one good arm to the rest of me. "Needless to say, I'm both low on brainpower and more than a little irritable at the moment, so get on with what you have to say."

Ren gritted his teeth together. "You nearly got yourself killed. _Again_. I think that warrants my being short with you."

"Really, this again?" I groaned with a hand to my face, then again when I accidentally touched my nose. "There was nothing I could do. Raven wouldn't have allowed either of you to fight with me or in my place, considering that I'm the weakest one of us."

"That's not the point," Ren growled, pink irises contracting in anger. "You nearly got killed trying to shoulder everything by yourself again. You left, all blasé, to fight a superior opponent who could've killed you. Meanwhile, I had to watch over Nora, who I didn't know if she would live. If you died, like you could've with Vernal, like you _almost_ did against Raven? I would've been left to protect Nora alone."

Any annoyance I had towards Ren deflated out. "Ah…I see. I am sorry for putting you in that position, I really am. But bluffing for a deal was the only plan I had, and we _didn't_ have a backup. And if it meant drawing their ire to me, that was a risk I was willing to take."

Ren took a few deep breaths, the clouds of steam in the cold making his draining tension all the more visible. "I know that we were in an unfavorable position, and there was no time to formulate a safer plan. And I can't fault you for taking it upon yourself to save our lives. My concern is that despite your more resourceful mind, I cannot fathom why the riskiest roles, the most dangerous parts always fall to you. This is not me being a petulant child demanding more input, but a plea to let Nora and I take some of the responsibility off your hands."

"I know, and I hear you. If I saw a way to make the plan better, I would've. But Raven would only accept one of us fighting, and Nora was down. _Maybe_ I could've convinced everyone that you were the weakest, and _maybe_ you could've faced Vernal instead…but if you died, regardless of if Nora and I survived, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. Better that I use myself to have the least risk to the group's survival, and _if_ things didn't go my way, at least you two would live." Ren looked miserably at me, and it didn't take a mind reader to know I'd forced up some unpleasant memories of sacrifice for him. I laid a hand on his shoulder. "Hey…I'm here, and I'm fine. Sort of…I'll live. And the next time we find trouble, not only will I include you both in the plan, but we shouldn't _be_ in that situation to begin with, since I'll be making backup plans on backup plans now."

We shared a grin, and I was relieved at the lighter mood. Seeing Nora finish her all-terrain exploration and start to return, I couldn't resist playing a certain card. "So tell me, oh smitten one? How's it feel that Nora cares about you enough to take a _lightning bolt_ for you? And don't think I didn't see your lap pillow earlier."

Ren blushed a luminescent pink, impressively visible on his face as Nora arrived. Turning away from both of us, he muttered, "Too soon…"

"Whatcha guys talking about?" Nora questioned, taking a look at my teasing face, then Ren's still clearly blushing one, back to mine, then back to Ren's before slowly turning back to me. "Kouzai…you didn't take advantage of me being unconscious or searching to make moves on Ren, right?"

I would've laughed, but a crackling Nora holding an electrified Magnhild was an excellent deterrent. "No no, I would never, Nora. You're so far off the mark it's not even funny. Like I said, I prefer the company of women."

Nora then levelled Magnhild at me. "But _I'm_ a woman! Gasp, have you been scheming to steal me away this whole time? Well, you-mgmpgmmsmg!"

"Nora, Kouzai has no romantic affections for you," Ren insisted, his hand over her mouth. "Now, in the interest of finding Kouzai medical attention, were you able to find a signal?" An emphatic headshake had us sighing.

"Alright, old-fashioned survival skills it is." I looked at the sun's bare outline. "Alright, south is that way. Assuming the Branwen Tribe didn't take us _past_ Wind Path, if we head that way we should see it soon. Let's move, because my entire body feels like an overcooked noodle."

… … …

"C'mon Kouzai, we've gotta get going soon if we wanna get good seats for the flower viewing!" Nora groaned by the door, watching me look over another set of finance sheets.

"A little bit more waiting won't kill you, Nora," I replied automatically. "And Ren's already there, he'll save us seats. Besides, if you want to blame anyone, blame Ms. Fujiko for punishing me with _so much paperwork_."

"If I recall, you yourself chose that option over cleaning the entire orphanage for a month." Ms. Fujiko's entrance into the room had me clamping my jaw and Nora doing her best failed impression of a houseplant. "Maybe this will dis-incentivize you from returning a bloody mess so often."

"I'm already plenty motivated to have that _not_ happen again," I grumbled. "If only _someone_ would give me more time to train so I improve faster."

"Well, I'm sure you can use that budding mind of yours to create more efficient training regimens." Ms. Fujiko brushed off the pointed reference. "Now, I need to borrow Nora to move the food outside to the viewing area. Do join us soon, and if the work proves too long, you can always resume tomorrow."

"Yippee," I dryly replied, taking the head-smack without complaint. As both women exited, I listened to confirm they were gone, before pulling my journals out.

After stumbling around aimlessly, we made it to Wind Path, where I refused to enter a hospital if it meant Ms. Fujiko being notified again. Instead, we went to Weylin's, which may have been far worse. Adequate medical supplies he had; barebones medical training, he did not. Luckily, after I'd been bandaged, splinted and casted up, my Aura got to work healing my smorgasbord of injuries. Weylin was uncharacteristically quiet as Nora recounted the breakneck back-and-forth mind games between Raven and I, with Ren taking over to describe my fight with Vernal and thrashing by Raven. Weylin gave me a long, piercing stare to which I had no idea why, before zoning out while looking at Nora as he heard about her semblance. As our time was short to return though, we soon departed, but not before implementing the same emergency contact plan with Weylin that I'd bluffed having to Raven. I was _not_ taking any more chances.

Even moving as fast as my injuries would allow, the delay meant our return, although before the flower viewing festival, was after the secret deadline Ms. Fujiko had set and never informed us of. Upon seeing my physical state, without having healed and without any notification whatsoever, I was lambasted to a point that sergeants in the armed forces would've feared. After _appropriate_ punishment, I spent much of my time recuperating and doing _a lot_ of financial work to accelerate Yozakura's growth to satisfy Atlas' potential requirements.

In between stints of work, seeing how I was banned from training temporarily, I spent the time coming up with ideas for my weapons, for dust usage, for my Aura and semblance. But most of all, for enemies. After Raven, I needed to put up a better fight for whichever villain I might encounter. Be it the Branwen Tribe again, the White Fang, Roman's group or Cinder's crew. Hell, if I encountered any of Salem's lieutenants, I would be prepared if it killed me. I think I was off the hook for planning for Salem herself, seeing as short of throwing a Relic or Ozpin himself at her as a distraction, I was screwed no matter what I did. And both Remnant and Earth would freeze over before I gave her information; I wasn't Lionheart.

So whatever came my way next, I was hitting right back.

_Protect them all? So much to do then…_

**TIME REMAINING UNTIL START OF CANON: 3 YEARS**

… … …

**OMAKE**

'Whoa…' I breathed, looking at the world in slow motion. It was serene, or would've been, if I weren't looking out the back of a truck with a literal ton of stolen adamantium, what looked like half of Vacuo chasing us in cars. Still, I'd take it.

Having tried to turn and nearly fallen over, I knew I had to stop my semblance to speak. "Roman, I _absolutely_ hate you right now! Which part about this heist was supposed to be easy!?"

"The part where we're less than twenty klicks from freedom! Just make sure the cops don't blow us up and we're scot-free!" Roman whooped, firing Melodic Cudgel at the closest car, igniting something important under its hood.

"Twenty kilometers is _long_, Roman! And we're the opposite of scot-free! We'll be wanted by every kingdom for this!" I shouted back, ducking back into the truck to avoid a hail of fire.

"That's the idea! And _you_ won't be wanted, considering you've got that fancy getup! Now, since your shielding skills need work, borrow Neo's backup weapon and use that new semblance of yours to get these goons _off_, _our_, _tails_!" The last three words were punctuated with offensive swerving to knock some agile bikers away.

"The last time I tell either of you anything…" I grumbled, extending a hand to Neo as she handed over a, you guessed it, tri-colored pistol. After some colorful gestures coming out to, "_Scratch it and you die, lose it and you _live," I aimed at the proverbial barrel of fish before me, glad the voice modulator mask and dark cloak somewhat hid my identity, despite the _burning_ temperature outside.

'Ok, just aim, and…' From my perception, the bullet made its way to the oncoming truck's tire, the impact setting off the dust cartridge inside, instantly turning its side into a fireball as the truck flipped over. The encroaching horde attempted to skirt around the flaming wreck, but the majority either stopped or piled onto each other.

I turned back to Neo. "I have got to get me one of these."

… … …

I stood transfixed, holding an umbrella of steel over my head as the rain of black feathers descended slowly, as if suspended by wires. I glanced upwards at the large Nevermore attempting to pierce my cover, piles of deflected arrows growing around me. Although smaller than the Grimm in the show's initation, it was still larger than the Taijitu I'd faced earlier this year, and likely had _a lot_ of feathers at its disposal.

'Ok, you've trained for this. No better time to practice than when you're staring down a storm of enemy fire.' I kept my greatsword above my head as I reached behind my back for my 'birthday present', a gift from General Ironwood of all people that he passed to Ozpin while both were at the 39th Vytal Festival. 'Probably a play to build favor with Glynda. Fat chance of that, but good try.'

Still, I admired the weapon's handiwork. Modeled off Ironwood's own Due Process, the revolver was weighty and painted a sleek white, making the kingdom of origin obvious. "Okay, here we go." Activating my semblance, the world slowed and I holstered my sword as I stared up at the Nevermore readying another volley of feathers. I took aim, and as the Grimm fired, so did I.

BANG

Even slowed, the sound still reached me, and the bullet tore through one of the Nevermore's wings as it began losing altitude. Meanwhile, I observed the razor-sharp feathers hurtling towards the ground. 'Look at the trajectories…'

Like a game of chess, I moved according to the movement of enemy pieces, sidestepping whenever in range of a feather. Bringing my blades around, I parried the last few and stepped out of the feather field as the Nevermore finally hit the ground. Before it could take off again, I leapt into the air, and with my combined greatsword, guillotined down onto its open neck as the blade carved through Grimm flesh. Deactivating my semblance as the head thudded onto the ground, I turned back to the forest, where Glynda observed proudly.

"The Nevermore, as requested." I flashed a winning smile. "So what's next?"

**A/N: Hey everyone, hope you liked this one. As you might've noticed, I swapped the order around this time, putting the Omake before the stinger. Partly due to trying things out, and partly because the of flow. Better to go from positive to heavy, rather than heavy to positive. If the new order is something you all favor more, let me know.**

… … …

… … …

"_Was running…worth it?...How's…life…treating you?"_

Ruby Rose chased her dog around the kitchen and under the table. Ein? Zwei? Zwei. She was a physical copy of Summer. Although their personalities differed slightly, the hopefulness, the optimism…it was all passed down to that little girl.

Taiyang was busy preparing dinner, stepping out of the way and chuckling as his youngest daughter and Zwei ran circles around him. It was likely that soup of his in the pot; one of the only things he could cook in Beacon. After Summer though…

Then she stepped into the room, blonde hair untethered and free-flowing. Similarly untethered, she moved with easy grace and effortlessly caught Ruby in a headlock, fist digging into dark locks as Ruby squirmed and lilac eyes squinted in mirth. An absentminded shove by Tai upset her balance, and both girls went tumbling to the floor, all parties sharing a laugh.

Yang. The hardest part of her absence.

A branch rustled as she took off, circling before changing in midair and landing upon the ground and straightening. The front door was a mere five steps away, but even with Kindred Link, it might as well be five thousand miles.

No, this was just a moment of weakness, and she _would not, be, weak_. She had seen enough, time to-

"_Tell me, are they dead?"_

Summer's smiling face rose unbidden from her memories as her hands clenched. The emptiness of one of her bonds disappearing…

Four steps.

"_Or worse, are they alive?"_

Her first moment of weakness, returning to see them after Summer's death. Qrow's drinking, Tai's shellshock, Yang's…Yang's loneliness…

Three steps.

"_Who'd you leave behind, huh? I'm not seeing any family here"_

The way they came together…the strength each showed…but still less, for having known Summer…less, for having known her…

Two steps.

"_A brother then"_

The times she'd met with Qrow after. First pleading for her return. Then raging. Then slowly…the indifference…

One step.

"_How about a husband?"_

Tai. The years on his face after. He carried himself with sheer will, but…that hole in his spirit…how much of that was because of her?

Zero steps.

Close enough to rest her head against the familiar door. If only she could raise either of her arms, dead and numbed at her sides.

"_Or is it a daughter?"_

Yang…her determination…her strength…her ambition…would anyone say that it had come from her?

An arm raised…

"_Any children? I don't see any around here, 'less you count Vernal"_

…and stopped.

What about her tribe, her people? Vernal, her protégé? Her plan to _survive_ what was coming, away from either Salem or _Ozpin_…she'd spent over ten years away because she was _strong enough_ to avoid such weakness. Would she give in now, just to fall with the rest of them?

"_I don't know, you tell me. At least I won't die a coward."_

A moment of weakness. A moment in time. That's all it took.

Three knocks sounded at the door.

**A/N: Wow, that…that was heavy. Writing Raven, despite my opinions on her character, made for a deep dive. And so the wheel turns, as Year 2 finishes. More to come. Much, much more. See everyone next week!**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 10/21/19**


	12. Chapter 9: A Stitch in Time

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: It's happened! Right before I posted this, I hit 100 followers on this story! A big thank you to everyone who's taken the time to read this story thus far, and to those that liked it enough to give it a follow, favorite or review. Every bit of advice helps me make my writing better. Now for some reviews.**

**The Crowned Reaper: Good to see you again, and glad you liked the chapter. For a guy whose physique is not built to challenge professional athletes, or in this case professional huntsmen, there was very little chance of Kouzai getting out of that situation alive without getting Raven to slip up. I also love well-written dialogue beatdowns, so I hope this one delivered.**

**andrestar: Thanks for the feedback, and it's good to know my breakdown of character traits and flaws was well-received. I just aim to do justice for the characters that RoosterTeeth has taken the time to flesh out, and humanize the ones they haven't gotten to. As for Vernal and other characters, the nature of a fanfic that tries to stay light on the OC's means there's always a possibility canon characters will come back around.**

**LordOfTee: Yeah, that was also kind of my reaction, and I'm the one who wrote it. We'll see what effects Kouzai's actions have, be they on Raven or elsewhere. Glad to hear you liked it though.**

**Captaindrake123: I think that after breaking down all exterior bluster and delivering some good old-fashioned scathing remarks that even Raven Branwen is just as sensitive as the rest of us. How that translates over to her future actions? We'll see. In terms of the first few chapters, this story could have really gone the way of any of the options I'd provided, and I would've been happy with each. The Omakes are just a peek into life for the other doors, so to speak. **

**Gizmo Gear: I'm not sure how to take your Wow, but I'll assume it's a positive speechless. Thanks again as always for the support.**

**Alright, now that I've gotten some feedback, onwards and upwards.**

**Chapter 9: A Stitch in Time**

**Chapter Date: 10/21/19**

"Aaaaaarrrrgghh…"

"You can do better than that, Kouzai."

"Ren, for gods' sake…I'm about to die…"

"How dramatic…do you require assistance?"

"OOH, I'll help!"

"Wait wait, no, Nor-AAAAAAHHHHH!"

"Nora…"

I slumped over, my spine in agony after being forcibly bent for my torso to reach my legs. Nora stood close by, hands covering her face in embarrassment. Meanwhile, Ren passively surveyed the carnage.

"Well, I suppose now is a good point to pause," Ren stated. "But honestly Kouzai, one would think you would be more flexible than you are."

"Not all of us-_dust_-practice meditative stretching everyday," I grunted back, pushing myself to my feet despite my legs feeling like jelly. "Flexibility is _not_ one of my strong suits."

"Well, it'll have to be, if you wanna polish up that fighting style of yours," Nora replied, turning away and whistling as I glared at her.

She was right, even if she was only parroting back what I'd told them. The first application of my semblance, which I'd since named Chronometry or the measurement of time, that I thought of was applying it to combat. As I'd learned from fighting Vernal, I couldn't count on being faster than my opponent to start reacting. Instead, I had to already be in motion and adapt according to their moves. Trying to move in such a manner led me to using the motto of Bruce Lee's fighting style, to 'flow like water'. Unfortunately, in order to flow from one move to the next without losing speed and power, I needed to brush up on one of my greatest weaknesses; flexibility. It was a hard slog, but I was wearing down the rough edges of my rigidity. I wouldn't be nearing Ren levels anytime soon though, if ever. I'd also taken to wearing Pyrrha's sunglasses, less of a fashion statement, and more so that people couldn't see when I used my semblance and my eyes turned silver.

"Investing more time into firearms training would also aid your fighting style," Ren added as I sighed.

In the time since getting thrashed by Raven, I'd practiced with the handgun she'd _provided_ me. Thanks to my semblance, I was a decent shot, but I still needed work before I could land accurate hits without it. I'd named it Corona, keeping with the theme of my name and my penchant for using Lightning Dust. Another idea I'd implemented was to finally add a ranged function to Mirror's Edge, but not in a way that required mecha-shift. I'd had Weylin reforge part of the blade and handle to integrate pistols. Each longsword had a pistol with a long barrel, with the grips and trigger as part of the handle, the combined product having the barrels form the guard with triggers on the grip and the magazines inserted from the bottom. Similarly designed to Gambol Shroud, these blades lacked the ability to fold. The result was having guns pointing outwards, and when firing a bullet I utilized the recoil to bring my weapon(s) back in a feint or faster backswing. When in my greatsword form, pressing the trigger of the barrel aimed backwards would instead accelerate my swings.

Another thing I'd learned after actually starting to use firearms on Remnant; they were kind of slow. Whatever Dust was being used as the energy propellant didn't require much to fire, meaning whole bullets were used, be they metal or Dust. They certainly packed a punch, but the increased weight meant decreased velocity, which was probably one of the only reasons why I could see shots coming when Chronometry only increased my perception by a factor of around two.

Either way, I hoped having Chronometry and ranged options would give me an edge over anything we might have to face, a possibility becoming more likely with our next task.

"Oh, can you believe it? We're going to get to see the big city again!" Nora exclaimed to Ren, the sight of a barely five-foot girl hopping up and down with a massive warhammer one that'd sadly become normal. Our next task was to visit Mistral and inquire the current status of the Mistral Council on their vote for Yozakura's relay tower. After our approval by the CCT review committee, the matter was now in Mistral's hands to determine if they had objections to its placement.

"You guys have already been to Mistral?" I asked, curious that it went unmentioned in the show.

"We made our way there soon after…meeting, before travelling to Yozakura, and were placed in the orphanage," Ren replied. "We decided Mistral wasn't the place where we wanted to settle."

'Oh yeah, Ren's parents had problems with the way Mistral ran things.' I scratched my head nervously. "Well, checking in with the Mistral Council shouldn't take too long."

"It can take as loooong as it needs," Nora amended. "The longer we're away, the less that Mother Fujiko can bury us in work!"

After our work in Argus and subsequent encounters with the Branwen Tribe, Ms. Fujiko had finally relented that we had a chance of making it as Huntsmen. BUT, she countered, any time spent away for training or missions for Yozakura would be supplemented with informative lessons on Huntsmen work. And who would be giving those lessons, you ask?

"If you knew what kind of teacher I am, Nora, you wouldn't be so happy," I joked as Nora paled.

"But Kouzai, my number-one-friend-behind-Ren, you wouldn't take away the chance for us to explore Mistral by giving us tons of boring work, right heh heh?" Nora tried giving puppy-dog eyes, but I was _not_ Ren, and had long since built up an immunity to them. Then again…

"We'll see how interesting Mistral is once we're there, Ms. Valkyrie," I primly replied, before grinning at both of them. "But if I find out you were just looking to ditch me and go on a date with Ren here…"

Nora 'eeped' and Ren stiffened, as both looked at each other and pointedly away, while I inwardly snickered. Now that I'd laid some groundwork, I could start indulging my favorite hobby; shipping characters. Ren and Nora were the easiest, and practically no nudging was required on my part. Also unsurprising was how fast Jaune and Pyrrha were hitting it off with each other, if what I understood from their scroll calls was correct. With Jaune finally receiving training from his father and tips from Pyrrha, while Pyrrha began to make friends with Sun, Neptune and most importantly, Jaune, it seemed like Arkos would come together naturally as well. Beyond that however, everything was up in the air. All evidence pointed to Sun and Neptune _not_ having any interest in the same sex, and I wasn't about to try introducing the Arc sisters into that equation, lest Nicholas and Jaune slaughter me. Winter, I hadn't seen or heard from since Argus. Cordovin…yeah no.

Raven? I'd been waiting ever since our fight for her to come and finish the job, or even spy on me in her bird form, but I guess I was arrogant in my perceived importance, because she'd been absent ever since. My efforts to keep tabs on the Branwen Tribe had turned up very little, save for the fact that they were still around, so I hoped Vernal and the rest had just let the whole thing go. One could hope.

But more important than the shipping, however much I enjoyed it, I had a secondary objective I needed to see to while in Mistral. An idea that'd come to me after encountering the Branwen Tribe. One that had to be kept secret from Nora and Ren.

It was time to call in a favor.

… … …

The journey to Mistral was short and much safer than the travels made in recent years. However, a much safer journey meant coming across much lower levels of Grimm, to the point where one of our number was more than a little antsy by the time we arrived.

"Must…smash…something…soon…" Nora twitched, Magnhild in hammer mode and her hands firmly clenching along the handle. Ren and I kept a healthy fifteen-foot berth around her necessary for our survival. Ren kept a watchful eye while I did my best to take the city in. Both the higher sections, as well as the lower ones. 'Somewhere down there…'

"Hey Nora, why don't you take Ren and look for a hotel we can stay in while we're here? It might take a while though, so I hope you're fine with some _exploring_." Ren paled, even moreso when Nora grabbed his wrist.

"YOU GOT IT!" Nora shouted, either from being over-energized or excited at the prospect of time alone with Ren. Or both.

"Uhh, Kouzai. Shouldn't we stay together? What will _you_ be doing?" Ren questioned, desperately trying to avoid being dragged off to a whole afternoon with a hyperactive Nora.

"Well, I'm probably going to hit a couple bookstores while we're here, find some study materials," I mused. "You're both welcome to accompany me, but the more people we have, the more I can buy to teach you later, so-"

"Nope, I've heard enough!" Nora replied, redoubling her efforts and succeeding in pulling Ren along. "We'll leave you to your icky book shopping."

"Send me the address once you've found a place," I called out, smirking at the pure betrayal Ren sent my way. "And don't forget to have fun, you two!"

Waving until they turned a corner, I waited an extra couple minutes before moving out. Actually stopping by some bookstores on my descent down Mistral's mountains, I bought some huntsman academy-recommended books to cover my tracks as I reached Mistral's bottom level. From there, I spent a bit of time wandering the darkened streets until I found the symbol I'd been looking for. Following the trail, I arrived at tavern in question, marked with the spider-and-web symbol. Taking a deep breath, I locked my emotions down and walked inside.

The inside was identical to its setup four years from now when Cinder would walk in, right down to the table in the back guarded by the pair in purple. Seated alone at the table, sipping a glass of wine was the woman in question. Purple dress, a fan and multiple rings all spoke to the casual power held. If that wasn't enough, her slightly narrowed eyes that moved the birthmark by her right eye, along with the raised hand signaling her guards showed clear authority.

"Well now, it's not often we get a young thing like you in here. Take it you know who I am, so you know you better show me somethin' worth my time, or leave while I'm still in a good mood." The statement was delivered casually, but I could feel eyes all around the tavern on me.

"Certainly, Lil' Miss," I replied, taking out a sizeable pouch of lien and placing it on the table. After a glance at it, Lil' Miss Malachite waved her hand as her guards backed off while I took my seat.

"So, what can I do for someone like you?" asked Lil' Miss, now using her fan.

I chose my words carefully. "I am here to request two tasks. The first involves ensuring the success of a vote happening on the Mistral Council in the near future. The other is to gain information on certain individuals, with repeated updates in the future."

Lil' Miss eyed the lien on the table critically. "Hate to burst your bubble Hon, but what you've got isn't near enough for either of those. You're gonna need a lot more for me to consider fulfilling either."

"I am aware that these funds are insufficient. The initial amount was to secure an audience with you," I replied, as Lil' Miss raised an eyebrow. "For the supply of information on certain individuals going forward, I would like to call in a favor granted to me by Preto Reyes in Wind Path, for dismantling of the Cleansers two years ago."

Lil' Miss stopped fanning for a moment, and both her guards' slackened as they heard my words, before Lil' Miss continued fanning. "Well now, _you're_ the one Preto told me about? The one who outsmarted and took down the cleansers? The one who stuck it to the Branwen Tribe and lived?"

'…Where did she even hear that last one from? Hah, it doesn't matter.' The fact that I'd flinched in front of her was proof enough. "I am, though I hope Preto only mentioned positive things about me."

"If by positive, you mean screwy, masochistic and near-sociopathic, then we're on the same page." I winced at every word of Lil' Miss' flippant reply. "Buuuuut…he told me you know how to make a plan work, and you know how to come back alive, things that I respect. So I'll be upfront with you. A favor from Preto is worth its weight in gold, but an indefinite information line on multiple people? That'll cost _more_ than gold. I can satisfy your first request in exchange for the favor, but the second's gonna need quite a bit more oomph to it."

'Well, that shoos in a relay tower for Yozakura, but how am I supposed to get information on Cinder and her crew? Hm…'

"What if I exchanged my services for yours?" I questioned. "Information you provide in return for information and services that _I'll_ provide."

Lil' Miss' fan stilled against her nose, but her crinkled eyes clearly showed her smile. "So you wanna fall in with my crew? Step up to the big leagues? Can't say I expected that, but I guess that means Preto was right about you."

"You can think of me as an independent contractor," I replied, fleshing out the idea. "I won't be directly affiliated with you, but that itself means I can go places and do things your men and women normally can't. In addition, contracting me means confidentiality on both sides."

Lil' Miss laid the fan down and sipped her wine. "I'll say you have me intrigued. It's rare I come across an underaged, competent operative. Normally, I'd skin any arrogant whelp before me for suggestin' somethin' so audacious, but you? Recommended by Preto. That's a _fine_ seal of approval there.

Still, I've learned to be careful if nothing else. I'm amiable to this partnership you're offering, but if you want information, you'll need somethin' to put down first, and I think I know just the thing…"

… … …

"Guess who's back?" I walked into the hotel room with a pose very reminiscent of a certain bombshell blonde. After a moment, I looked over at Ren, tied up in a chair, and Nora, in the process of braiding Ren's hair and failing.

"Kouzai, please…" Ren pleaded, wincing as Nora accidentally pulled too hard and yanked a hair off. I sighed, before reaching into my bag for Nora's weakness.

"Alright Nora, time to study." At my words, Nora sprang back from Ren and pointed Magnhild in grenade launcher form at me.

"Never! I won't get pulled under by the boredom of words! I'm staying free and there's nothing…" Nora trailed off as I nonchalantly pulled my scroll out. "…Kouzai, what are you doing?"

"Oh nothing," I breezed back. "Just calling Ms. Fujiko to make sure you-" I didn't even finish before Nora zipped forward, grabbed one of the books and dove onto one of the beds, opening it in front of her face like it would shield her.

"Noooooooooo! You fiend! How could you use my weakness against me?" Nora cried, seemingly oblivious to the fact that her book was turned upside down as I walked over to Ren.

"You'll have to be more specific, Nora. Do you mean your weakness to studying or your weakness to Ms. Fujiko?" I asked while untying Ren. "Because using studying against you for your benefit really doesn't bother me."

"To be fair, _everyone_ has a weakness to Ms. Fujiko," Ren deadpanned, recirculating his blood flow while glaring at me. "I was stuck in that position for hours, so I hope your materials are useful."

"Eh, time will tell, won't it?" I shrugged, pulling out another book for Ren. "Alright kids, gather 'round. Nora, let me tell you about Beringels. And Ren, we'll be going over the events of the Great War."

… … …

Bzzzzz Bzzzzz Bzzzzz

I pulled my head off my pillow and grabbed my scroll off the nightstand. The ID showing Ms. Fujiko, I picked up with a mumbled, "Hello?"

"KOUZAI! Did you hear the news!" I held the scroll away from my ears in case of further shouting, but when nothing came I hazarded a "Noooo?"

"The Mistral Council approved the relay tower in Yozakura! We got the news this morning in town!" Ms. Fujiko's words had me bolting upright and wide-eyed, as Ren woke up as well.

"Uhhh, they already approved the tower?" I parroted back for both mine and Ren's benefits. "Didn't they still have points on the agenda to debate before then?"

"I know, it's amazing! The council informed us that ours shot to the top of the priority list after they determined how important proper communication across Anima and between the kingdoms was," Ms. Fujiko gushed. "You all must've done a fantastic job with the proposal to get Atlas _and_ Mistral to approve so quickly. This sort of thing normally takes years."

"Yeah, well, you know us…great dealmakers, we are, ha ha." I looked sideways at a shocked Ren as he caught the topic of discussion. "So, do we need to come back now, or…?"

"It's alright. Thanks to you three, Yozakura's future is secured, so take some time off. You've earned it." Ms. Fujiko made to sign off, before remembering. "Just make sure to keep up with your Huntsmen studies at the very least. We all know how quickly looking at a book can knock Nora out."

"Will do." I waved goodbye as Ms. Fujiko signed off, as our conversation finally roused Nora.

"Mmmhmmmph…what happened?" Nora groaned, before looking at Ren's shocked face and my befuddled one.

"Well…" I thought of the task given to me by Lil' Miss. "It appears we're going on a vacation. I hear Kuchinashi is lovely this time of year."

… … …

After a quick journey further south of Mistral, Nora, Ren and I arrived at Kuchinashi to general surprise. Given what Qrow had mentioned about Wind Path and Kuchinashi in those World of Remnant videos, I'd expected Kuchinashi to be similar to Wind Path in structure and atmosphere, with an openly present sense of criminal activity. The reality was much different.

Instead of a down-to-earth and homely atmostphere that Wind Path had, Kuchinashi was a sprawl of high-rising, colorful pagodas. Given that Kuchinashi was relatively flat as opposed to Mistral, the visual effect was even more eye-popping in having the tallest buildings I'd seen on Remnant so far.

"SOOO PRETTY!" Nora exclaimed. "Ooh, can we stay in that one? Or how about that one?"

"I'll admit, such a sight is unexpected compared to what we have seen in Wind Path, Argus and Mistral," Ren added, looking upwards towards the top of pagodas. Both him and Nora were drawn in by the impressive sight of such architecture, distinct from Vale and Atlas' designs and yet breathtaking in its own right. However, having been exposed to the daily sight of New York's skyscapers, I'd become desensitized to the concept. That, and I was focused on a different matter entirely.

'Where is the criminal activity?' I wondered, looking at the ground level instead of towards the air. 'If Qrow mentioned Kuchinashi as a den of liars and thieves, one would expect it to be a little seedier. But everything seems relatively on the level so far.'

Regardless, I knew there had to be criminal activity going on, considering the task that Lil' Miss had given to me. In order to fulfill it though, I had to get a lay of the land first, among other things.

A quick walk found us an affordable hotel as we checked in. As we did, I glimpsed an elevator in the opening as other guests exited. However, my attention skirted past them and focused on the bellhop, standing stiffly in the corner as the doors closed. Or more specifically, at the wolf's ears peeking out of his hair. An uneasy feeling building in my stomach, I did a quick sweep of the lobby area, taking in the décor of the building. I was also taking in a few other sights as well.

A rodent faunus pushing a cart of linens. A deer faunus wiping the floors down a hallway. A reptile faunus cleaning the windows outside.

'Oh…damnit…' So _this_ was the kind of town Kuchinashi was? What a headache, though things made more sense now in context of Lil' Miss' information.

"Has anyone else…noticed how faunus are treated here?" Nora asked as we entered our room.

"It likely isn't just this hotel," Ren replied, confirming our suspicions. "It seems Kuchinashi has its own set of problems, and likely illegal ones."

"Yeah, this…this sucks, but there isn't much we can do to change things altogether, at least not right now. Let's just take our vacation while we can, and return back to Yozakura after. We can try to avoid places with business practices like cheap faunus labor." Ren and Nora nodded glumly at my words, and I couldn't blame them. 'If I wasn't on a deadline with Lil' Miss, and we weren't expected to return to Yozakura anytime soon, maybe I could put my head towards this issue. But for now, I don't think anything is changing the tide of anti-faunus sentiment.'

"In the meantime, why don't we find something to eat? It'll give us a chance to scope the city for any places of interest while we're at it." I opened the door as we filed out. "After all, it can't be that hard-err, nevermind."

"Hmmm…" Nora squinted suspiciously, hand raised to swat at my head.

… … …

"Ah, these are good noodles, right guys? Guys…OW! Come on Nora, I didn't even say it this time, and we're already eating!"

"It took us nearly an hour to find this place!" Nora shouted back. "You thinking it still jinxed us…"

"Again, I don't know how outside events can be considered my fault," I reiterated between bites. 'It's not like I've got a bad luck semblance like Qrow.'

"All jests aside, the pervasive prejudice propagated by citizens here is disheartening," Ren finished. Our exploration of Kuchinashi had revealed much of the same discrimination occurring at other businesses, to the point where we had to intentionally wander into the seedier parts of town to find satisfactory options. And lo and behold, the poorer districts were populated by mostly faunus.

"It's sweet to see you kids worrying out us, but faunus like us are comparatively lucky," our waitress added sadly. "The ones working in the city have it tough, sure, but it beats working in the mines outside of town. They don't even have a chance of making it out, considering the SDC has a research facility set up next to their mine."

I stiffened as Nora and Ren perked up, with Ren asking, "The SDC have a facility in this region?"

"Yup, and you can bet they've been squeezing the mines and faunus there for every Lien they're worth," our waitress replied bitterly. "Stories say money changed hands to keep channels between the mayor here and the SDC officials running smoothly."

Our meals sat like rocks in our stomachs as we finished and generously paid, before exiting.

"It's sickening to hear how the government allows such discrimination openly, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," Ren muttered bitterly, as I remembered his dislike of the Mistral government's style of, well, governing. "I'm still not convinced that all is as it seems with how quickly the Mistral Council approved and finalized our request for a relay tower."

'Why Ren, that's quite the deep hole you're digging me into…' I laughed nervously. "Let's not look a gift horse in the mouth on the whole relay tower business, it's done and behind us. As for the treatment of faunus, it's wretched, but without an idea of how to change things we'd just be banging our heads against the wall. After we're through with the material on the Great War, we'll switch over to the Faunus Rights Revolution, and see if there's a little inspiration that can be gained there."

"I still think slinging Magnhild over my shoulders in hammer mode would put work towards stopping some of these horrible shopkeepers," Nora pouted as I sighed.

"While it might work temporarily, and I say _might_, it'd just put faunus behind in the long run, and it wouldn't be any better than what the…White Fang…do…" I trailed off as we passed by a jewelry shop in the commercial district. One that looked like a storm had swept through, with shattered windows, overturned displays, lots of sparking wires and even some fire damage on the overhang. "What the…"

"Excuse me," Ren took the initiative and approached an officer canvassing the scene, "Is it possible you could tell us anything about what happened here?"

"I _just_ said, no reporters on-oh, sorry about that." The officer scratched his pink-tinged cheek. "We uh, the authorities are trying to keep a lid on the recent rash of crimes."

"Rash? As in multiple?" I asked. Something niggled in the back of my head, a feeling…

"Yeah. Look, I want to be of help, but I've got orders and my butt's on the line here, so just take a quick look and be on your way." The officer discreetly pulled up a picture of the crime scene from his scroll. The differences were immediate, as the overhang was still in place, and from it hung a white banner of a wolf's head with three claw marks.

"Oh no…" Nora gasped as Ren nodded grimly. I also stayed silent, though the feeling in my head had come true.

"So the White Fang are in Kuchinashi…"

… … …

"So what do we do? I mean, the White Fang are the bad guys with all the bad stuff they're doing. But they're doing it for the faunus, so that's good? But it's actually hurting the faunus, or helping them? This stuff hurts my head…"

"You're not the only one," I growled under my breath. 'Realistically, there's not a thing I can do to either help or stop the White Fang, beyond knowing the names of some of the leaders, which is already known. Even if I could change something before canon, tipping the White Fang to either success or utter failure would derail the canon plot, and almost everything I know would become irrelevant. Still, to sit back and let the Fang continue harming both humans and faunus? I'm starting to understand how Weiss and Blake felt, in different and yet similar ways.'

I shook my head. "Whatever the case is, the White Fang's methods are hurting others. Yes, they may be targeting some of the more unsavory humans, but the fact remains that they're hurting others and innocents could get hurt."

"So we _are_ fighting them?" Nora questioned, head tilted to the side.

"We're going to try to _stop_ them," I stressed. "There's other ways to stop an individual or group beyond fighting them."

"You want to _talk_, with members of the White Fang?" Ren asked incredulously.

I nodded. "Obviously, there are the extremists that'd like nothing more than to have their property lined with a row of human heads on pikes. However, I'm hoping they're mostly just veterans from the Faunus Rights Revolution. No, I'm thinking about the more moderate members, the ones who are torn about the violence. Maybe we won't be able to change things for the faunus now, but maybe getting through to the more flexible members, the ones who'll grow to become the leaders, is how change happens."

I think my words were sensible, as Ren slowly nodded. Nora replied, "So what exactly are we doing?"

"I think we should split up. Now hear me out!" I exclaimed, throwing up my hands to ward off the tangible suspicion Nora and Ren were lobbing at me. "I mean this only as a strict reconnaissance mission, to look for potential targets of White Fang crime or possible members. Nothing else. Trust me, if a fight breaks out, I'll definitely be running this time around without a Sun to save."

'Plus, a group of thugs is far different from an organization of armed terrorists. If I roll the dice and get a huntsman-level opponent again…' I shuddered.

"So, to be clear, you want us three to note which business owners are the most prejudicial against faunus, and then profile faunus that we observe to be the most likely to turn to violent activity?" Ren questioned as I winced.

"Ok, when you put it like that it sounds bad, but I'm not trying to play judge and jury here. I'm just guessing that an increasingly militant group like the White Fang is going to care less about subtlety, meaning hopefully their plans will become easier to grasp. I'm just grasping for a lead at this point, same as you guys. If we don't find anything, we'll go straight back to our vacation and look down other avenues to help the faunus."

… … …

'Ok, not _everything_ I said was a lie.' I didn't lie about searching for other ways to help the faunus if we didn't find anything. Nor did I lie about guessing the White Fang to be obvious in their plans. Their target though? Definitely a lead there. 'That SDC facility is a shining beacon of faunus abuse in the eyes of the Fang. I'm surprised they didn't target it first…unless they were planning to hit that last, making all this other crime…what? A smokescreen, or information gathering?'

Whatever the case was, with a definite target under my belt, I just needed to find the perpetrators. Asking around the city gave me a list of places that had been hit already, as well as some businesses whose questionable policies on faunus made them appealing targets. Sending the list of potential victims to Nor and Ren, I sought out the locations that'd already been hit, and questioned the business owners already back in business. I was just hoping that I found a common link between the different locations, something that might point to the Who, or perhaps the next Where. Fortunately, I did find a link. Most unfortunately, it was the life-threatening kind.

Now I was seated in a park located across a textiles shop rumored to be severely underpaying their employees, who coincidentally happened to be mostly faunus. Situated hopefully far enough not to rouse suspicion, I browsed on my scroll while my thoughts ran amok. 'Please, for the love of both the brother gods, do _not_ let the person I'm thinking of be here, please…'

And the universe, hearing me and in all its infinite wisdom, decided to screw me over royally as a girl appeared in my sights. One with black hair, amber eyes, pale skin and dressed in a black tailjacket with maroon jeans and black sneakers, features _very_ similar to a certain cat faunus. However, her _normal_ appearance had tanner skin, brown hair and bluish-gray eyes. The only connecting feature between all her disguises; the freckles. As the girl walked inside the store, I sighed and stood up, slowly making my way towards the shop and entering. Ignoring the vibrant displays of fabric around me, I searched for the individual in question. Sighting her towards the back, I casually walked up next to her, making it look like I was examining the same tapestry she was.

"Hello there," I said casually, as the girl looked sideways at me, suspicious of my appearance at the same display, despite there being many other customers in the shop. "Could I trouble you for a quick chat?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm busy at the moment," the girl replied brusquely. "And you aren't my type."

'Yeah, in various ways.' Keeping that thought to myself, I instead opted to reply, "I figured. I'm guessing I would require something along the lines of animalistic features, perhaps?"

The girl froze, then burst into action as she tried whirling around. Tried in her case, as I gripped her shoulder to stop her movement, strengthening my body with Aura to inform her of my combat capability. I didn't enjoy how threatening I must've appeared, but I shoved those feelings down for now.

"I wouldn't make a scene if I were you. Do that, and you'd blow your cover and ruin your potential as a caser for security in businesses like these. Plus, I kind of also have a gun that I can draw and fire at a moment's notice." In order to appear mostly inconspicuous, I left Mirror's Edge at the hotel and just brought Corona along. "I'm offering to keep silent on that matter, in return for one simple conversation alone. Is that agreeable with you?"

The girl stiffly nodded, and I smiled. "Great. Why don't we head over to the park across the street, and we'll be done soon so you can return to your superiors."

I gestured towards the door, looking outwardly content while I inwardly winced, as Ilia Amitola and I exited the shop for a _very interesting_ chat.

**A/N: Who would've guessed the White Fang would eventually make their appearance? As the second-most discriminatory kingdom towards faunus, and the closest one to Menagerie, it was the most likely candidate for such an incident. Hopefully everything turns out well for everyone involved, right? Right?**

**No stinger this week since there were no hugely important characters affected this chapter. That and I was extremely short on time to get this one in. Sorry. There's still the Omake though!**

**OMAKE**

"Ok ok ok, you can do this…" I exhaled slowly as I watched the White Fang bustle back and forth in the warehouse across the street. Tracking routines and search patterns, waiting for the right moment as I wrestled my nerves under control.

It had taken months of planning to set this plan in motion properly. After hearing that the White Fang had begun operations in Vale, I needed to find out how expansive the Vale branch was, and if Cinder had already sunk her claws in the organization. However, if my identity was discovered, or if I encountered any of the big shots, I was dead as a doornail. So I decided on a plan.

Training extensively with my revolver Flare, I practiced a fighting style favoring the gun and martial arts, prioritizing mobility if a quick retreat was needed. Acquiring a domino mask to hide the use of my semblance and regular eye color. A black mantle and different clothes to distort my body type. A blond wig to ensure there were no similar features to be linked to Kouzai Goodwitch. These would hopefully make me indistinguishable from my regular appearance, though I tried to ignore the similarities between the mantle and and Glynda's cape.

'Gotta remind myself to stop by Juniors soon. If the info that I get from this isn't useful to him, at least I can try to fish for info on the Fang's further operations around the kingdom. Before that though…'

I analyzed a vehicle driven by some of their members, watching it loop over and over around the blocks. Pulling my revolver out, I focused on the pattern and for them to drive into place. I took a deep breath, activated Chronometry, aimed with Flare, and fired.

**A/N: Well, I did say Mistral was the **_**most likely**_** candidate, didn't I? I didn't say it was the **_**only**_** one for events like this, especially considering that the White Fang operates in every kingdom.**

**Next Chapter Date: 10/28/19**


	13. Chapter 10: Paved With Good Intentions

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Happy week of Halloween! Much candy, costumes, and likely alcohol ahead this week. Also, the premiere of RWBY Volume 7 is this weekend, and next weekend for all non-FIRST members of RoosterTeeth! Can't wait! In other news, I'll be answering some good questions posed in The Crowned Reaper and rey dreemur's reviews. I previously answered most of these to people that messaged me, but I'm happy to answer them for the readership at large. **

**For starters, Kouzai does have a last name, or will at any rate. It's just that much of his daily life doesn't require formal documents or the like requiring a surname, so he's just coasting by with Kouzai for now. On the subject of Beacon, I won't say too much beyond that Kouzai **_**will**_** be at Beacon, but he will **_**not**_** be on a team of OC's, replace anyone or be added as a plus-one to any team. Especially that last one, considering I don't know exactly how far Ozpin is willing to flaunt team rules that have likely been in place for decades. As for romance, I'll divulge that it's in the cards for him, but there's a few hurdles he's gotta get through before then. I definitely have plans for it though. **

**In addition, Kouzai's semblance, Chronometry, channels Aura to his eyes in order to process visual information faster. To Kouzai, the world around him appears to slow down, including slowing his movements as well but not his thoughts. Finally, please note that questions do not bother me in the slightest, regardless of the number. If I have an answer for them, great. If I don't, that just means there's an area of my story that I've overlooked and I'll be thankful for the help, so don't be shy. Now, let's get to it.**

Chapter 10: Paved With Good Intentions

Chapter Date: 10/28/19

Ah, palpable tension. Between sparring, studying under Ms. Fujiko's watchful eye, and fights with traffickers, bandits and Grimm, I'd likely spent more time in such an atmosphere than not. However, this was the first time _I_ was the creator of such tension, and the one inflicting it on the rigid faunus next to me. 'For that, I apologize, Ilia. Even if I can't say it out loud.'

The two of us drifted over to the park across the textiles shop, coming to the bench I'd sat at previously. Plopping down unceremoniously, I patted the seat next to me. "Now now, I won't bite." Ilia threw a look of loathing = before slowly lowering herself to the seat.

"_What_…_do_…_you_…_want_?" Ilia gritted out, hands fisted upon her lap as her eyes darted back and forth among the trees. Looking for…something… 'Oh…yeah, I did not come across as a good guy, did I?'

"I promise this isn't a trap, and there's no one else in this park but us two. And the occasional jogger," I relented, and Ilia flinched at having been caught. "I swear, all I want is to have a civil conversation with you, and we can part ways, the authorities none the wiser to your identity."

"Then talk," Ilia growled, clearly still on edge. I sighed and held my hands up in defeat. 'Yeesh, talk about Blake vibes to go with that appearance…'

"Ok, well, for starters, mind returning to your standard appearance? It feels a little awkward chatting with you in disguise." 'Especially when you look rather like Blake.' Ilia jerked away at my words, then stared at me, likely trying to gauge how I knew about her camouflage.

"It's the freckles." I pointed to my cheeks, watching Ilia clap her own. "No matter the hair or eye color, no matter what skin tone you took, you always had freckles. After I found that out from the business owners I talked to, it wasn't hard to put the rest of your disguises together, especially when you don't change the length of your hair."

Vague synonyms of frustration were all I received from the chameleon faunus, before she relented and dropped her hands back to her lap. Taking a breath, her appearance shifted before my eyes, hair lightening to dark brown, skin tanning to light brown, and eyes changing to bluish-gray. Now before me sat the normal Ilia Amitola.

"Thank you. Now, I just wanted to ask a few questions. Yes or No answers are fine if you want." Glumly, Ilia sagged slightly in her seat, though I readied for her to bolt at my next words. "So, can I assume that you're a member of the White Fang?"

True to form, Ilia made to spring up, but I caught her wrist and halted the attempt. Eyes shifting to red, Ilia's glare seethed at me while I looked calmly back, before she sat back down and I released her wrist, letting her fold her arms and look away. "What's the point of asking? If you interviewed those humans, they would've already told you the White Fang trashed their shops."

"True, but I tend not to take the words of bigots seriously, so there's no guarantee the White Fang hit _all_ of the shops," I replied as Ilia looked quizzically at me. "Plus, I was asking about you specifically."

"…yes…"

"Thank you," I repeated. I just hoped the thanks were getting through, or this would become bad very quickly. "Can I also assume the White Fang has plans to attack the SDC facility outside of Kuchinashi?"

Thankfully, Ilia didn't bolt this time, though that was due to her shocked posture and dropped jaw. "H-h-how did you _know_?"

"Uhh, it's not a hard guess to assume the White Fang isn't in Kuchinashi _just_ to attack some anti-faunus shops. With an SDC facility close by, it'd be a prime target wouldn't it? I mean, even the citizens of Kuchinashi know an attack will probably happen, and I'm sure the SDC is on guard too." At my words, Ilia turned back away from me and grumbled under her breath. I swear I caught the mutterings of 'bullheaded edgelord', and my breath hitched before I sighed exasperatedly.

"Okay, bear with me now. I'm not trying to eavesdrop, but I heard a little bit of what you said. Are you telling me…your group is working under Adam Taurus?"

Any shocked reservations on Ilia's part evaporated away, and she made to run again before I again grasped her wrist, and this time hauled her back of my own accord. 'This doesn't sit right with me, but I'm not crossing any lines here.'

"Who are you?" Ilia hissed as my grip forced her back to the bench. Glaring at me, she attempted to wrench her wrist away, but I held firm, waiting for her answer. "Fine, yes. You already knew that though, didn't you?"

'No.' I couldn't tell her that though, so put some pieces together in hindsight. "Taurus is a known ranking member in the White Fang's hierarchy, and the most active branch of operations is Mistral. Given Taurus' more…violent policies, an operation such as this one would likely be headed by him." 'Plus, you follow Blake, who follows Adam, at least for now.'

"Tchh, lucky guess," Ilia scoffed, oblivious to the fact that it really was. Her shoulders sagged. "It doesn't matter. The attack will still happen, regardless of who tries to stop it."

"You don't sound too happy about that though, even though you'll be attacking the SDC," I replied, half digesting the words myself. 'Why would she be unhappy? C'mon, think about her personality…'

Then it hit me, and the words tumbled out before I could rephrase them. "Is Adam prioritizing the attack over the 'liberation' of faunus from the mines?"

Ilia's shoulders sagged further, no attempt to clam up this time. "…yes…"

'Damn, so Adam's anti-Schnee agenda is already overtaking other priorities. How long before anti-Schnee becomes anti-human?' I couldn't do anything about Adam right now, but I had a different opportunity before me. "And do you agree with his priorities? His methods?"

Ilia's freckles darkened to green, then blue. "They get results; it's the only way that works…besides, my opinion doesn't mean much anyways."

"Except that it _does_," I stressed, and Illia turned back. "_You're_ the one out here doing recon for the White Fang in these kind of vandalism missions. Impact on faunus aside, without you, the Fang would have to put in much greater effort and resources for much less reliable results. That gives you some importance. Even if Taurus himself doesn't hold you in esteem, he _must_ have _someone_ he listens to, so talk to them instead." 'Like a certain cat faunus.'

"But what's the point?" Ilia muttered, bringing her knees up to her chin, feet resting on the bench. "Adam probably has it right, and his way works. The faunus are getting better treatment now, and our demands are being heard, thanks to people like him and the High Leader."

"But at what cost?" I asked, and she paused. "Sure, the faunus may _now_ be getting better treatment, but it's out of fear of attack and retaliation. Your _rights_ are being built on the foundation of the assumption that the White Fang can force change, as opposed to the peaceful ways of change that the previous High Leader Belladonna favored. If the White Fang or faunus as a whole lose the ability to force change by violence, all that was built on such violence will crumble with that leverage. So tell me, what happens when the rest of the world realizes that the only way for the faunus to maintain such a militant wave of change is to become the dominant force of Remnant?"

Ilia remained silent, but we both knew what the answer would be. War, like the Faunus Rights Revolution. And after the 'concessions' granted to the faunus at the end of the Revolution, would the faunus be able to prevail over a Remnant that might be united under fear of the faunus. With Atlas' technology?

"So that's it? We just roll over for the humans, and go back to peaceful protests and just hope for change and equality?" Ilia shifted unconsciously, turning blue with her hair and freckles red. A sorrowful anger, one that weakened the knees and voice. "We just suffer under bigoted humans, and pray for mercy that humans will change themselves to bring change _for_ us?"

"Yes and no," I replied sheepishly, rubbing my neck as I let my harsh façade crumble. I couldn't remain impassive in front of such vulnerability. "Equality, _real_ equality, can only happen if both sides let it. Sure, you can claw away the parts necessary to call yourselves equal, but what's to stop the other side from taking it back, now or later?

But no says the Faunus just have to sit on their thumbs and wait. They can do something that both humans _and_ faunus are equipped to do; _talk_. Debate. Persuade. I'll admit, there are _a lot_ of bigots, both in Mistral and Atlas, and some in Vale and Vacuo as well. But there are still a majority of humans open to the idea of equality, or could have their eyes opened to it. They're also innocent people, even if it doesn't seem that way when you have those prejudiced acting in front of you. Would you attack them for 'standing by and letting it happen'? Would you force them to choose sides, knowing that they might side against you if they're attacked first?

Change comes slowly. It's like evolution. It can take decades, maybe generations to occur, and you still might get unexpected results. But force a mutation or evolution rapidly, and you have all sorts of side effects to deal with. Here, now, those side effects are already showing. Violence, like a cancer, is spreading on both sides. Force your 'equality' on Remnant without consent? That side effect might just doom the whole system." I finished. Throughout my analysis, Ilia had shifted colors multiple times, a cycle of interpretation that I was not privy to. Now though? She was back to her original appearance, but her thoughts looked to be anything but calm. Shakily, Ilia rose to her feet and started walking away, and this time I didn't stop her. I just had one more thing to say.

"Ilia!" The faunus paused but didn't turn back. Good enough. "I'm not trying to persuade you. Just think things over. Decide whether in your heart of hearts if the White Fang's methods are the right way, and if you think you can be one to change things."

Ilia's hand's clenched at her sides, before she continued walking away. I waited for a solid minute for any ambushes to occur, fingers close to Corona. When faunus failed to spring from the trees, I left the bench and began walking back. 'Looks like our vacation is over…'

… … …

"Why! Do! You! Keep! Breaking! Your! Own! Rules!" Nora's punctuated every word with a solid blow to my shoulders, and when I tried to escape, my back. Ren looked back with blazing eyes of pink.

"Owowowowow, stop! Ok ok, I went a step further than planned, but _that's it_! I didn't pick a fight, and wasn't planning on talking to them anyway! I just happened to find someone after interviewing the business owners, and thought it'd be useful to ask her a few questions!" At my words, Nora froze, hand frozen above my head with a still-threatening aura.

"Ask _her_ a few questions, hmm?" Slight sparks of electricity jolted off Nora's skin. "Sooo, Kouzai thought he could pull a few moves on a faunus girl, HMMM?"

The meaning of her words dropped into my brain, and my jaw dropped to the floor. "Nooooo, nonono, that was _not_ the intention. I _just_ wanted to ask her some questions, _that's it_!" I looked desperately at Ren, knowing his calm mind would see the logic in the action, and how _hitting on random girls_ was something that I _did not do_. Ren proceeded to stare me straight in the eyes, and fucking _winked_.

"Kouzai does interact with a great many women, most of whom he encountered as strangers. Why, even Pyrrha was rumored to be one of his conquests at first." Ren smirked behind Nora as the lightning-wielder turned back to me, literal electricity bunched up in her hands.

"Ren says it's ok!" A fistful of electricity collided with my chest, confirming that Aura didn't do much to mitigate electrical shocks.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" After a good half-minute of writhing and panting on the floor, I picked myself up and glared at Ren. "Was…that really…necessary?"

Ren merely shrugged and levelled a look translating to, "Payback for leaving me behind in Mistral." Then he asked, "Did you end up getting useful information from this individual at the very least?"

"Yeaaahhh…it's not exactly good news though…" I hedged, before coughing as Ren and even Nora deadpanned at me. "The vandalism on businesses has just been a prelude, icing on the cake. Their real goal is to attack the SDC facility outside the city and free the faunus working at the mines."

Ren brought a hand to his chin in thought, while Nora looked conflicted about the matter. 'I can't blame them. Faunus discrimination is a can of worms that I do _not_ have the philosophical chops to solve.'

"Look, whatever the case is, if the White Fang go unopposed when they attack the SDC facility, people will die. Whether it's the SDC facility workers, the White Fang themselves, or even the innocent faunus workers or citizens of Kuchinashi, there's gonna be blood on the ground." I knew I had their attention with the mention of the last two groups. "The things we've dealt with in the past have been pretty reactionary. We took on the Cleansers to save Sun, and we fought the Branwen Tribe mostly to survive. This, though…us intervening is as proactive as it gets, and rather up there on the danger scale too. So if you want to get involved, we need to be absolutely certain, because there won't be any time for wavering once we've made up our minds."

Honestly, it might've been easier if neither of them wanted to go. That way I could sneak away on my mission for Lil' Miss uninterrupted. Well, mostly uninterrupted. Ren at the very least appeared to be considering the options. "What if we warned the Kuchinashi authorities of the attack preemptively? Would that not dissuade the White Fang from attacking?"

I shook my head sadly. "From what I understand about whoever's in charge of this particular mission, I don't think they'll stop for anything. Any shoring of the defenses would likely get chalked up to a harder assault, leading to more deaths and injuries. Any additional support for the SDC facility would need to be discreet, and even if the SDC themselves could manage to be such, I wouldn't necessarily trust them with the information."

"So, what? We're acting like a wall between the White Fang and the SDC?" Nora questioned.

"I don't think we could manage that even if we wanted to," I replied. "At best, we're the deterrent that tries to keep things from turning into a bloodbath. But we'd have to be discreet ourselves, given that the White Fang _definitely_ won't be happy to see us, and the SDC will likely be suspicious of outside 'help'."

"So long as we have the opportunity to prevent needless bloodshed, then we have the duty to act," Ren replied, fingering a sheathed knife at his side. Nora and I could both tell what it meant to him. "Welcome or not, we will protect others as huntsmen should."

Nora laid Magnhild across her shoulders, brow furrowed. "I don't know all the complicated stuff on who's right, but I _do_ know that whoever's trying to hurt or kills others needs a hammer to the face."

"Well, this makes things easier and harder. Can't say I didn't see it coming though." I nodded at both of them. "Alright then. I didn't get a day of attack from the White Fang member, but one has to assume it's soon, considering things seem like they're coming to a head. The first thing we need to do is _plan_."

… … …

Three days. It'd been three days since my talk with Ilia, and our preparations were finished with haste. As had been done the past three days, we divided ourselves in a rotation to observe the SDC facility, as well as monitor the situation in Kuchinashi. Given our priority on making sure the people of Kuchinashi wouldn't be harmed, two of us covered the city while the third kept an eye on the facility.

'And thank the gods Chronometry lets me pick up motion better than average. It's no night vision, but it'll do.' That perk was how I managed to sell Nora and Ren on giving me the evening shifts on surveilling the facility. 'I also neglected to tell them the Fang will most likely attack during this shift as well. All the better for me to slip into the facility.'

What I wasn't sure on was what day the Fang would come. More preparation served to aid all parties involved, but the Fang were likely running on some sort of timetable, and Adam Taurus didn't strike me as the exceedingly patient type. 'Then again, he _did_ tail Blake and crew across the entirety of Anima during Volume 6. Maybe I should give him mo-' A dust explosion flared in the night, and an alarm began ringing. 'Nevermind.'

I whipped out my scroll and called on our group communication, already making my way towards the facility. "It's happening. You both know what to do."

"We'll put in an anonymous call to the Kuchinashi police on imminent attacks on shops," Nora promised.

"And Kouzai, make sure you stay away from the conflict-"

"Unless the situation lethally escalates, I know, Ren," I replied, keeping my voice even as I neared the facility. Even from the far side of the facility, away from the main entrance and the direction of the mines, I saw groups of masked faunus engaging white-clothed groups. "Just hurry, things are already getting heavy."

Hanging up without preamble, I secured my scroll away and checked my attire to make sure everything was in place. Taking a deep breath, I grasped Mirror's Edge in both hands, and dashed forward. 'Fifteen minutes until Ren and Nora get here. Okay, time to rely on that nonexistent info from Lil' Miss.'

Using Chronometry, I stayed on the outskirts of the skirmishes taking place at the main entrance of the facility. Having cased the building, I knew there were no outer windows for easy access, and opted for a side door, four guards with hair-trigger fingers posted outside.

"Hey! Stop or we…what the…" The guard speaking trailed off, his colleagues freezing, as I loomed before them. Expecting Grimm-masked faunus, the sight of a full-face volto mask, along with a full-length black robe flaring behind me, caught them unawares for but a moment. It was all I needed as I brained two of the guards with the flat ends of Mirror's Edge, before parrying a couple shots from one of the remaining two. Throwing one-half of Mirror's Edge at the guard firing, I jumped and rebounded off the building's wall to bash the hilt of my other longsword into the man's neck. As the third guard went down grasping at his windpipe, I pivoted and pressed the flat of my remaining longsword against the last guard, forcing him flat against the wall.

"Sorry." I slugged the man once, twice across the jaw before his eyes rolled up, and he slumped down as I stepped back. Turning to look at the door, I quickly pawned the four guards' key cards off their persons, slipping them into my pockets after swiping for entry into the building. 'Could've maybe forced the door open, but better to make it harder on the Fang in case they find this door.'

I quickly paced down bland metal corridors, sounds of battle echoing off the walls. Turning a few corners, I was thankful the different area of the facility were marked above the entranceways. However, I was _not_ thankful for the automatons guarding these entranceways. 'Faaaantastic. If only I could steal one of you to give to Lil' Miss, but smuggling one to Mistral would be a _bit_ cumbersome.'

Not nearly as agile as some of the characters portrayed fighting the Atlesian Knights, I opted to deflect their bullets using Chronometry as I closed in, until their AI directed them towards melee. I handled their blades much better, and Mirror's Edge flashed a fluid web of steel as I carved through half a dozen metal chasses. 'At least I don't need to hold back in case they don't have Aura.'

My scroll showing my time already halfway through, I hurried into the section labelled 'AK-130' and was greeted with a large laboratory, the interior flashing red with evacuation signs flashing along the walls. 'Empty. Makes my job a whole lot easier.' Passing alongside the tables, my eyes beheld numerous arrays of stray machinery and blueprints. With limited engineering experience and even less in robotics, I did my best to parse out which blueprints detailed the core AK-130 units, stuffing them into my belt pouch. As I turned and began making my way out of the lab, the side area caught my eye as I happened upon a row of mechanical arms.

'Blades, guns, even riot shields. Must be the attachments for the…bots…' Coming to a specific attachment, my eyes widened as I noted the blueprints. 'That…that could come in handy…'

Grabbing the robotic arm off the table and adding its blueprint to the ones already in my pouch, I fastened the arm into the spare firearm holster on my back, before smoothing my robe out and grabbing Corona. 'Alright, this might put a dent in Jacques Schnee's bottom line, but it's better than the Fang getting their hands on any of these blueprints.' Using Fire Dust bullets, I shot the more flammable parts of the lab, and soon the room was ablaze. Keeping Corona in my hand while the barrel cooled off, I kept Mirror's Edge on my back as I exited the lab, going back down through the corridors.

'Alright, got a few minutes left until Nora and Ren get here. Just need to get outside to run some Fang vs. SDC interference, and we'll be out before Kuchinashi police redirect their resources.' Any further planning stopped as loud voices came from around the corner. 'Aww, crap.'

Holstering Corona, I drew Mirror's Edge as longswords, before racing around the corner into the sights of a handful of White Fang. Using Chronometry, my perception saw the one in front shout maybe two words of warning, before I lashed out with Mirror's Edge. A full slash down his front showed shimmering Aura, as a slice across the stomach of the one at his side revealed similar results. 'Ok, maybe all the Fang have Aura. Good to know.'

As the first two crumpled, the third charged forth with a saber while the other two tried laying covering fire. Taking the initiative, I dashed forward and tackled the sword-wielding faunus, sending them backwards as the other two stopped firing for a moment. Taking that chance, I closed in and brought the flat of both my longswords onto one's collarbones, then wheeled around to bat the torso and legs of the other. As the last guard regained their footing, I jumped and kneed them in the face, before twisting and kicking them in the head. As the corridor became still again, the thought popped into my head.

'Wait, if the Fang are _here_, then what's going on outside?' Dread flooding my insides, I made for the front entrance of the facility, noting that I didn't pass any other squads of White Fang. 'Did they split up and make it further into the building? If so…'

I ran out of the facility into main courtyard, and stopped in my tracks at the carnage. Some White Fang members laid devoid of life on the ground, but even more SDC guards were scattered around them. Further shouts and bangs off to the side registered that fighting was still going on at the mines, but here in this courtyard, only two figures still drew breath. Both I and the figure across from me were adorned in black and wore white masks, but whereas my mask and robe were meant to hide my identity, his attire drew attention to his.

A black blazer, dress pants, shoes and gloves that looked more at home in a fancy dinner than on a battlefield. Floral patterns and sigils of white and red trailed along the front and back of his blazer, highlighting the red shirt worn underneath and the shock of blood-red hair on his head. A white Grimm mask with red sigils accentuated the sharpness of the two black horns breaking away from his hair. His left hand held a shotgun sword sheath, while his right grasped a red katana with heart-pounding similarities to Raven Branwen's.

'Oh fuck me…'

"You don't look like the kind of scum employed by the SDC, but you are present at their facility and smell human. State your purpose now or suffer the consequences," Adam Taurus commanded.

'Ok, a couple minutes tops, I can do that.' I slowly sheathed Mirror's Edge onto my back and held my hand up. "I'm only here to prevent needless slaughter. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Needless you say? Are you referring to the loss of brave faunus giving their lives in the name of freedom? Or maybe the faunus enslaved in the SDC's mines wasting away in the name of cheap Dust?" Adam's sneer became even more pronounced. "Surely you don't mean the humans pervading these evils, now slain at my feet?"

"I mean _any_ loss of life, be it human _or_ faunus," I replied, and Adam's sneer dropped away. "You have to know that death of either humans or faunus will just inflame hatred against the other. Whatever victory you may be jockeying for here will be overshadowed by the darkness that you've stained this chapter of history with."

"Humans like _you_ have _always_ hated the faunus! If the faunus wish to hate the humans back for how we have been treated, that is our right!" Adam yelled. "Our victories will lead to a better world for faunus, and our _history_ will be written with faunus as the winners, as it should be!"

"But at what cost?" I asked. "Even if the White Fang can take on the entirety of Remnant and win, they won't be able to win forever. Power _always_ changes hands eventually, be it between kingdoms, between companies, between races. But _how_ it changes, and how the less powerful are treated in the aftermath, _that's_ what's important."

"Any faith humans may wish for faunus to have in them has long since been squandered. The faunus have spent far too long as second-class citizens to rely on change from humans anymore." Adam's face turned frightfully neutral. "Death is better than bondage."

Any thoughts on movie references went on the backburner as Wilt was sheathed. "Now, step aside, or face my blade."

'Ah, damnit. Nora, Ren, you guys better be here soon.' I activated Chronometry and slowly drew both my longswords, holding them in an escrima stance. Adam grasped Wilt and tilted down in an iaido stance. 'Here's to hoping I did enough planning.'

With a bang, Blush shot Wilt from the sheath as Adam lunged forward, grasping his katana out of midair as he rocketed toward me. Gritting my teeth, I dug my heels in and held my right longsword outwards in a guard. As the distance between us closed, I heard a low whistling sound. As both Adam and I looked sideways, I was able to see the small object hurtling towards the ground in front of us. Realizing exactly what it was, I jumped backwards, just as a grenade canister hit the ground between Adam and I.

BOOOOOOMMM

As a familiar cloud of pink smoke billowed outwards, I was yanked even further back and whirled around to face two other robed and masked figures, one at my height and wiry, the other short and powerful. The short one proceeded to smother me in a bone-breaking hug.

"We said to stay _away_ from the fighting till we got here!" Nora hissed worriedly.

"Until things escalated," I wheezed. "Trust me, they've escalated." Nora let go as the three of us looked at the expanse of courtyard clear of pink smoke, and the corpses littering the ground told the tale.

"Do we know if any SDC employees remain inside the building?" Ren questioned as the smoke cleared.

"Not sure, but I know some White Fang slipped inside. The SDC has robots though, so any employees inside might be able to escape," I grimly assessed as the smoke fully dispersed, with Adam remaining in the same spot, face impassive at the two newcomers. "If _he_ gets inside though…"

"I was afraid of that," Ren sighed, deploying Stormflower from his robed sleeves. "It appears we have no choice then."

"Oh, we have plenty of choices. They're just mostly awful," I quipped, hands clenching Mirror's Edge.

"Any options that let us beat tall, dark and brooding?" Nora muttered, aiming Magnhild in grenade launcher form.

"Stick with me and let's find out."

… … …

… … …

"Ilia, I need you to focus!"

Ilia snapped back to attention and stared her unspoken crush in her amber eyes. Crouched behind a rock outcropping, they were shielded from enemy fire, but ricochets and impacts against the stone sent Blake's feline ears into a twitching frenzy. "Sorry, what's the plan?"

"They think they have us pinned, but if you retreat and camouflage, you can circle around and flank them." Another near-miss had them both wincing, as Ilia nodded before turning coal-black to match the shade of her uniform. Stealthing away, Ilia got some distance away from the fight to avoid the SDC's portable searchlights. Running off to the side, Illia gripped Lightning Lash as she counted the number of remaining mine guards ganging up on her and Blake. Anger at the unfairness of it all threatened to turn her red, but she calmed herself as she closed in on the cluster of guards. Activating Lightning lash, she slashed down on the backs of three guards as they neared Blake's hiding spot. As electricity coursed past their Aura, the remaining five whirled around to get eyes on the ambusher, but a flurry of shots from Gambol Shroud chunked their Auras away, and the two girls fell upon them in the momentary surprise.

Was it considered unfair to set Adam upon such unskilled guards? Or even the researchers?

"Ilia, let's get to the mines! We have to free these faunus!" Blake sprinted towards the mines as Ilia made to follow, mind still in turmoil. A horrified gasp pierced through the fog though, as Ilia stopped next to Blake, her own feet frozen at the sight.

Dozens of faunus miners, piled together and riddled with bullet holes. The rocky ground beneath them repelled liquids, and so the blood of the slain puddled around the bodies. The direction most of them faced and their terrified expressions indicated they tried to flee. A sickening feeling took root in Ilia's stomach as she realized what the mine guards had been busy doing before sieging them.

"Gods…so many…" Blake sobbed, ears flat against her skull. With their faunus vision, it was easy to tell that none had been spared.

Would these lives have been saved if Adam had put more men towards rescue than the attack? Ilia's hand clenched Lightning Lash. Another explosion from the facility highlighted the slaughter before them, and the screams of those unfortunate enough to face Adam in battle followed.

So much bloodshed…was the harm done to the SDC this night worth these lives?

"W-we need to get back to the hideout," Blake whispered, regaining her voice. "We have to report what happened here to Adam. Something _has_ to be done about this."

As Blake sheathed Gambol Shroud and stumbled away, she didn't notice Ilia turning red and yellow, anger and hatred written on her skin. For the first time though, she wasn't sure who it was for.

**A/N: The fun never ends, and by fun I mean near-death experiences. Welcome to Remnant! I hope everyone enjoyed that and is looking forward to the showdown with Adam.**

**OMAKE**

"T-t-this doesn't even make sense!" I forced my words to come out even, despite my chattering teeth. "_How_ can it be this cold out?"

"Welcome to Atlas, kid. Where it snows nine months of the year and hails the other three!" Roman exclaimed cheerfully, looking quite snug in his thermal Fire Dust-lined coat. Next to him, Neo appeared unphased by the chill even in her normal clothing, though I wagered she was quite bundled up under an illusion created by Overactive Imagination. Either that, or she was a demon unaffected by the elements. I'd buy either one.

"Alright, kid, remember your role?" Roman questioned as we trudged across a snow-covered rooftop. Below in progress was the annual charity gala thrown by the Schnee family, meaning that everyone who was anyone was in attendance. Including the big man himself.

"When I said we need to stop the White Fang from attacking an SDC R&D facility, I'm not sure how that translates to 'let's have Kouzai pickpocket Jacques Schnee for his access credentials'," I stated dryly as we passed by the second of the two unconscious guards posted on the roof.

"Why, I thought the train of thought was rather simple. We stop the White Fang from getting their hands on valuable SDC research, by stealing it first." Roman's nonchalance on the matter had me gritting my teeth. "Beggars can't be choosers now, and if Neo and I are sticking our necks into this business, you can be sure we're getting something out of it."

"Of course, _how could I possibly forget_?" The chill of my sarcasm was fast approaching the physical chill outside, a fact I remained cognizant of as Roman went to work on the locks on the roof access door. "Remind me, why exactly am I the one pickpocketing Jacques Schnee again? Considering the _wealth_ of experience in the area you two have."

Roman didn't even have time to quip back before Neo pulled out a rolled-up paper on her person to show an international wanted poster of Roman, with a _lot_ of lien as the reward. Snapping the paper back up, she deadpanned while pointing at her throat, before twirling her finger around to land on me.

"Okay, I see your point, sad as it is," I sweatdropped as Roman got the door open and we passed through the doorway. "I still think it's a terrible idea to hinge the most important part of the plan on me being able to pickpocket the richest man on Remnant in plain view of all of Atlas' elite."

"Anyone ever tell you you worry too much? Oh yeah, _me_. You'll be fine. You've got an unnatural level of maturity for a kid who's only fifteen, so blending in and schmoozing with the snobs of Atlas shouldn't be a problem." Roman's usual snappy remarks carried genuine approval, before their usual bite returned. "Besides, if things go sideways, Neo's waiting in the wings to pull off a great escape. Happy hunting!"

I sighed and slipped off my winter clothing, leaving me in an immaculately-fitted suit, courtesy of Roman's tailor. Descending the stairs, I heard the low buzz of hundreds of conversations getting louder, signaling my likely impending demise. 'Ok, showtime.'

As I turned the corner, I was ill-prepared to bump into anyone, but such a collision had me stepping on the back foot. Noting the other individual's smaller size, I quickly leaned forward and pulled the girl up by her forearm and waist, setting her down a comfortable foot away from me to avoid any misunderstandings. "I profusely apologize; I was caught up in my own thoughts and…"

My words died as I noted the pale blue dress worn by the girl before me, her sideways ponytail, her pale skin and white hair. But most importantly, the crystal-like eyes that shone like aquamarine, with furrowed brows heralding one of her legendary tantrums. Instead, the girl huffed and looked sideways.

"Be more cautious next time. Honestly, it's like you've never been instructed in the ways of graceful movement. Well, At least your stumbling was accidental and you respected my personal space, unlike the other groping buffoons in attendance. I assume you are aware of who I am?"

Heiress. Singer. Huntress-in-training. Future BFF to a silver-eyed cinnamon roll.

"Of course. How could I ever forget the beauty that is Weiss Schnee? Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kouzai Higure. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

**A/N: Well, at least this Kouzai got to meet a main character of RWBY. Actually, Beaconpoint Kouzai met Yang and Ruby pretty early on in the omakes. Maybe I'll have an encounter with Blake written in the future. Until next week!**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 11/04/19**


	14. Chapter 11: An Ounce of Protection

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Happy November everyone! For anyone who keeps up with League of Legends, I spent a bit of time keeping up with the semifinals going on this weekend, which consequently ate into my editing time a little. That doesn't really bode well for when I get to starting watching Volume 7 this weekend, but we'll see. As a note, please rest assured that I will not be including any Volume 7 information in this fic until Volume 7 itself is actually over. Even then, it will only be to the extent that Kouzai may discover information about semblances or weapon names, as Kouzai arrived on Remnant knowing information up to Volume 6, and nothing beyond it. Now for a couple reviews:**

**Zeldawolffang: Thank you for the compliment, I've put some thought and work into this fic, so I'm glad there are those that enjoy it. It definitely motivates me to stay on the weekly release schedule.**

**The Crowned Reaper: You know, I didn't even think of the comparison before, but I suppose similarities do exist between Dante and Kouzai. For one, Kouzai would never stick to just one weapon, so that sword and gun combination does evoke a reference. As for Red Queen and any physical traits, I don't think Kouzai will be going the way of the DMCverse…unless his arm gets cut off. I didn't jinx things, did I?**

Chapter 11: An Ounce of Protection

Chapter Date: 11/4/19

'Back, right, bloc-SLASH! Back up, and reset.'

"HEADS UP!"

"ARRGGGHH!"

Nora, Ren, and I stood across from Adam warily, as he glared at us behind his mask.

"This guy's definitely huntsmen-level," Nora muttered, hands gripping Magnhild's launcher form with tense energy. Her face lacked her characteristic grin, either due to the stakes of the situation, or the part I was having her play in it.

"Which is why I'm surprised that we have been doing as well against him as we have," Ren commented, tone a tad too strained to be casual. "Kouzai, how long were you fighting him to formulate this plan?"

'Zero seconds, and a whole lot of visualization from watching the show.' I kept my eyes on Adam and refused to betray any outward expression. "Long enough. Things would've gotten far too dicey for my liking if you both didn't get here when you did."

And that was the truth. Sure, I had made plans for most of the antagonists in RWBY, but there were realistically _very_ few matchups that I would be coming out on top of for now, at least without time to prepare or backup.

With Nora and Ren though?

Adam's teeth were bared in a snarl. Doubtless he thought we would go down like the SDC guards had, and underestimated us. Good. The longer he kept that up, the more our advantage stretched out.

Without a word, Adam dashed towards us, body tilted towards a quickdraw stance. I levelled both longswords of Mirror's Edge, Chronometry already activated. 'Here we go again.'

With lightning speed, Wilt separated from Blush in an upwards strike. Having moved up towards him, I planted my feet and reverse-gripped the longsword in my right hand. With a reverberating clang, Wilt crashed into Mirror's Edge, and I gritted my teeth to hold Wilt back.

'Weakness 1: His semblance only gets energy from attacks. It won't get any stronger if the target doesn't contribute any impact back.' This was the hardest one for me to pick up on, but also one of the most crucial. Without recognizing that, my plan would've been relegated to 'overwhelm with numbers and grapple him', a lethal option against a quickdraw master.

Before my eyes, Adam whirled around and brought Wilt around in a full-rotation strike for my head. Holding my left longsword up, Wilt met Mirror's Edge once again, and frustration was plain on both our faces. Him because he could force past my blades, and me because I couldn't meet his slashes with equal force, lest I power up Moonslice.

Yup, I put myself in the position of the tank, taking the attacks of _Adam Taurus_. All because of a few reasons. 'Weakness 2: His regular attacks _can_ be blocked…even if they sting to take.' Why me instead of Nora or Ren though?

A whistling sound reached both our ears, and Adam hastily blocked Stormflower with Blush as Ren appeared out of thin air, or as good as. Using Tranquility, Ren was best suited to sneak in and try to get hits on Adam while I was catching his attention.

As Adam grunted and flexed, Blush began to lower with the barrel pointed out towards Ren. Shoving Stormflower's other half so that both weapons were against the gun-sheath, Ren kept the barrel pointed above his head, a position he didn't have to be in for long.

"WIDE OPEN!" I shouted, cutting across Adam's back with my reverse-gripped longsword, taking immense satisfaction in seeing red Aura angrily shimmer across his body. Taking a fraction of a second to look sideways, I used the momentum to kick off Adam's back, upsetting his balance and giving Ren the opportunity to escape from the deadlock as well. As Adam regained his balance and turned, he was greeted with the sight of a pink canister centimeters from the ground, just beyond Wilt's reach.

BBOOOOOOOOOM

Yet another crater appeared in the SDC facility courtyard, pink smoke billowing out as Ren and I rejoined Nora about fifty yards away, both of us guarding with our weapons in case of a fast recovery. Mercifully, the smoke dissipated to show Adam on one knee, skid marks in the dirt documenting the knockback.

'Weakness three: He only has two weapons. Between Ren and I, we have four, so I'll be damned if we can't lock his weapons up and let one of us land a hit on him. Weakness four: his semblance only absorbs energy directed _at_ it, meaning it's weak to area-of-effect impacts like explosions.'

"I still think I should get to smack him with Magnhild at least once," Nora grumbled, as I mentally tallied another point in the 'she's just antsy' column.

"Hah…tell you what, Nora…if we beat him, I'll let you get a swing in on him," I panted, leaning on Mirror's Edge as I caught my breath.

"Are you certain you will be able to keep this pace up?" Ren asked, concern plain on his face. "Merely blocking his attacks and their momentum is clearly taking a toll on your body and Aura."

"Not to mention you've been using Chronometry since the start of this fight," Nora murmured.

"We've got no other choice," I grimly replied. "We can't run now, since he's still more than fast enough to catch up to us, and we don't know if anyone's still inside the facility. And neither of you can act as the shield here, since Ren's too useful for sneaking, and Nora's too useful to land the splash damage. This is the role I'm best suited for right now, and it's the role I'm sticking with. Besides, I only need to hold out long enough to either beat him or let one side retreat." 'Or, you know, die.'

As I regained my breath and straightened, it seemed Adam considered his break over as well, returning to his quickdraw stance. Before the cycle of combat began again though, I called out, "Don't you want this to be over?"

"More than you know!" Adam shouted back, posture tensing as he prepared to pounce.

"Then why continue fighting? If you keep fighting us, there's a very real possibility you lose here, or at the very least, get drawn into a stalemate until every cop in Kuchinashi arrives and you're forced to retreat." I strained my ears for the sounds of any sort of police siren, to no avail. "Isn't a leader supposed to know when to cut their losses?"

Adam's grip on Wilt tightened. "And how would you know that I'm a leader of any sort?"

"Uhh, you're Adam Taurus, aren't you? High-ranking member of the White Fang? It isn't hard to come across new stories about incidents with your involvement, and your appearance is…unique." I was bluffing, but I'd be damned if the media hadn't already identified who Adam was. "Also, considering how strong you are and how much Faunus tradition tends to value strength, you would _have_ to be some type of authority figure."

Fingers relaxed their grip on Wilt, but Adam did not rise from his position. "It appears at least _someone_ did their due diligence, unlike these human scum lying around. It comforts me somewhat that my performance is in part due to facing combatants who had countermeasures prepared. Which is why, _as a leader_, I must stop you here so that my men do not encounter you. I suspect they would fare poorly."

'Aww, crapnuggets…' I looked miserably at Nora, who had an unnatural number of teeth displayed, and Ren, who shrugged as of to say 'you gave it your best shot'. Rolling my shoulders, I hefted Mirror's Edge back up. "Fine. Just know that you had the chance to prevent further bloodshed on both sides."

"Blood spilled now to pave the way for a bright future is a cost that I and the White Fang are more than willing to pay," Adam replied. With a small crunch, Adam pushed forth and rocketed straight for Ren, Wilt already drawn and in full motion.

"Damnit!" Not-so-gently shoving Ren out of the way, I held both halves of Mirror's Edge vertically, catching Wilt as the impact rattled my teeth. Sliding my right arm to the side, I slashed towards Adam's side, and watched as Blush stopped my blow. Seeing Ren close in behind Adam, the start of a grin on my face disappeared as Adam whirled around, disengaging from my blades as the momentum forced me back momentarily. Turning to face Ren, Wilt arced upwards for Ren's heart. Only Ren's reflexes got Stormflower in between, sparks flying as Ren tried to use Stormflower's blades to lock Wilt in, similar to what he'd-

BANG

A rifle shot collided with my chest, and my attempt to surge forth halted. "GAAK!" Pounding my chest to force some air back in, I saw Adam's back to me, with his left hand snaking behind and pointing Blush _backwards_. Springing into motion, Adam turned on his left leg to roundhouse kick Ren in his side, dislodging Stormflower away from Wilt. As Adam knocked Ren away, he pivoted around to see Nora's grenade already descending, and got down into his quickdraw…

"Shit! EVERYONE DOWN!" I hit the deck, followed by Nora and Ren a split second later, as Adam's figure, now wreathed in glowing red, sliced outwards and a red crescent of Aura carved through the grenade in a wide arc. As the explosive detonated, I sprang to my feet as Adam was harmlessly enveloped in smoke. 'He has his bearings now. C'mon, if I was him, who'd I aim for?...Oh…'

I held both blades parallel to each other, squinting with Chronometry on full blast as I waited for…

BANG

The smoke distorted as Wilt flew out of the smoke hilt-first, propelled by Blush. Just as fast as Dust bullets, I gritted my teeth. 'DON'T MISS."

Remaining still until the very last second, I leaned sideways and stopped Aura-reinforcing my blades.

CLANG

'…I can't believe that worked…'

I stabbed Mirror's Edge in the ground as Adam dashed out of the smoke, only to stop in horror as my blades sunk into the dirt. _Blades_, because the two halves were prevented from joining by a Red Dust katana wedged tightly in between.

'Weakness 5: he needs his weapon to use his semblance.'

"Charge him, NOW!" I roared, Nora and Ren happily complying. Adam readied Blush, but before anyone could fire off a shot, a ribbon wrapped around Ren's arm.

"Ree-NNNNNNNNGGGHHH!" Nora exclaimed, electricity coursing through her body as a whip hit her from behind and she collapsed to reveal a color-shifting Faunus.

'…Grimmshit…' Behind my volto mask, my jaw dropped as Ilia and _Blake fucking Belladona_ stepped over to Adam, Ren having disentangled his arm from Gambol Shroud. Strangely, Ren and I didn't seem to be the only ones unhappy at their arrival.

"I told you both to return to the base after going to the mines, _no detours_. You weren't supposed to come here," Adam growled, speaking almost exclusively to the B of RWBY. 'Who isn't wearing a Grimm mask, even though Ilia and Adam are…'

"Adam, there was no one left to save at the mines," Blake said softly, and all present stiffened at the connotation. "We thought this facility was more dangerous than expected, and that you might need help."

"I have things under control here, Blake," Adam stressed. "Most of the guards have been taken care of, but _these_ three showed up to stop me from finishing off whoever's inside the facility."

"More Schnee security?" Ilia sneered, pointing Lightning Lash at Ren and I. We both remained silent, trying to predict how things would turn out.

"No, just some humans trying to protect their own. I would've taken them out soon regardless," Adam replied casually. "_You two_, though, should be helping our brothers and sisters evacuate from the facility."

'Evacuate? From what?...OH, _HELL NO_.' "You are _definitely_ not stepping inside that building, and are _definitely_ not blowing the place up," I seethed. "Not while there might still be people inside."

"People inside? Adam, you told me the all the employees would be taken out before-"

"ENOUGH." The atmosphere got twice as tense from Adam's one word. "Our timetable is running short as it is. Ilia, help me take care of the remaining two, then we'll move on. Blake, if you're going to help, you'll need to put on a mask." Ilia nodded, and Blake reluctantly took a spare Grimm mask from Adam and donned it, before brandishing Gambol Shroud.

"Welp, this sucks." I looked over at Ren. "Please tell me it's soon."

"It is…hopefully."

"Gods…y'know what, fine. And how long do you think _she_ will last?"

"With the shock? Quite a while."

"Well, at least somethings going our way," I sighed. "Alright Ren, I'm going to need you to occupy the cat-eared Faunus with the ribbon weapon. She looks far too agile and flexible for me to deal with at the moment."

"Very well, I'll do my best. And who will _you_ be facing?"

"Given what's already happened, I'd hope that would be obvious." I ran a hand through my hair, then raised my fists, feeling slightly vulnerable without Mirror's Edge. "Ready? GO!"

At my words, Ren and I sprang forward, as the White Fang members prepared to meet us. What they didn't expect, however, was what came out of my mouth next.

"FRANKENSTEIN!"

"YOU GOT IT!"

"Wha-OOOOF!" From behind, Ilia had no defense to the suddenly-risen and _very electrically-charged_ Nora, the pint-sized powerhouse tackling the chameleon Faunus to the side. While Adam and Blake were temporarily distracted, Ren flew in with a kick to Blake's chest, knocking her backwards as he capitalized on her mistake. Meanwhile, I stood across from Adam.

"What did you do to my weapon?" Adam's voice was flat, clinical as he took a stance, augmented by Blush still in his off-hand.

"A little bit of a flytrap of sorts," I tried faking being breezy, like I _trapped people's weapons with my own_ all the time. "Why don't we just settle things with our physical skills, see who's better?"

Adam honest-to-gods chuckled, before aiming Blush at me. "If nothing else, your inane humor has made fighting you more enjoyable. You should be proud of that, regardless of how things will end."

"So I take it that's a no on the whole 'no guns' rule? Okay then…" Adam lunged forward and flipped into a kick cleaving through air as I sidestepped. A spinning backwards kick, then-DUCK!

BANG

A close shave with Blush had me on the back foot now, and Adam advanced with his legs two spinning blades of their own. 'Great, so he uses kicks the same as Wilt. Fine, he's not the only one with a gun…'

Another relentless charge forward, and as I ducked another roundhouse kick, I reached behind me. Whirling around in a backfist with my right hand, Adam backed up, but he flinched as I raised Corona with my left and fired off three shots. The first two hit his torso and right arm, but the last he blocked with Blush as he used the momentum to speed out of my aim. Chasing him down, we circled around Ren and Blake, playing a nimble game of 'avoid bullets and ballistic chain-scythes', and Nora and Ilia, doing their best impression of an electrified cat with a big hammer chasing a mouse. Reaching Mirror's Edge before me, Adam grasped Wilt and tried yanking it out from the vice hold my blades had it in, but Wilt refused to budge before I was upon him.

"No dice. Your sword isn't escaping unless I say so," I muttered, trying very hard not to think about what would happen if Adam, a skilled Aura user, learned the trick to separating Mirror's Edge. Instead, I focused on figuring out how to get Blush off Adam.

'He's got a death grip on his last weapon. I need a distraction to wrestle Blush away, and I need to stop him from grabbing it again…oh, this is gonna suck…'

Aiming Corona, I fired off two more shots, forcing Adam to dodge and block with Blush. As I closed in, he sneered and aimed Blush at me. Flexing my muscles, I streaked forward.

BANG

Adam gaped as I took the shot straight-on, and I pivoted with both arms in motion. Grasping Blush's barrel with my right hand, I fired Corona straight at his chest with my left and used the impact to wrench Blush away from Adam. Pivoting again, I scanned the battlefield for-"NORA! HEADS UP!"

Chucking Blush, I watched Nora pause from her game of 'whack-a-chameleon' to gaze at the spinning sheath, before grinning and leaping up in the air to grab Blush.

"Don't let them get their hands on it!" I shouted, before turning back to face a grimacing Adam. Once again, I raised my arms, and now devoid of weapons, he did the same.

"Such confidence in your unarmed combat abilities," Adam hissed. "Do you really think you have what it takes to put _me_ down?"

'Nope, but it's far better than you _with_ weapons, fighting either Nora or Ren.' I plastered a cocky grin on my face and waved with one hand. "Come find out."

Yelling, Adam charged towards me, lashing out with a side kick. Chronometry constantly on now, I guarded with my arm. 'HOLY-, he hits like Nora, but with more precision.' My silver Aura shimmered across my body and I flexed my fingers. 'My turn.'

Launching my right hand forward in low jab, Adam mad to guard his face, but I snapped my wrist and sprang upward into an uppercut, driving my fist into his stomach. As I retracted my right hand, I went in for another jab, and this time Adam dodged sideways instead of guarding, just in time to take my fist again and I snapped my wrist and elbow, turning the jab into a hook at his face. Crimson Aura flashed this time as Adam reeled back, wary now of my right hand.

"You use a strange technique," Adam murmured almost conversationally, far more casual than I'd be if I'd been nailed with what I thought were two solid punches. "Your reverse stance is also quite rare."

"Perks of being a lefty. And thanks. It took a lot of work, so I'd be sad if it wasn't effective," I shot back. 'But man, the mid-swing directional changes are murder on my wrist and elbow, not to mention the flexibility needed. I'll never complain about those stretching sessions again.'

But you couldn't get to where Adam Taurus was without being adaptable. As Adam surged back into my range, the bull Faunus bobbed his head side to side, making it difficult to track his body position. 'An infighter like him will just break down my defenses; I need to take the initiative!"

Turning my fists so that my palms faced upwards, I matched Adam's charge, and jabbed with my right hand. Adam parried my fist and weaved inwards, but twisted sideways to avoid my left straight coming nearly instantly after my jab. Turning with him, I chopped downward with my left hand, and as Adam blocked with his right arm, my own right arm slipped past and knifed onto his collarbone. Quickly bending that same arm into a guard, I absorbed a roundhouse kick as we both separated again, and this time Adam looked a bit more rattled.

"So many tricks. What kind of a fighter are you?" Adam questioned.

"The surviving kind." My reply only seemed to further incense the Faunus, and with gritted teeth, Adam closed in with far more speed than he'd been using. I tried socking the bull Faunus' jaw, but he shrugged it off in favor of landing a blow to my ribs. And he wasn't done.

'_Dust_…the man's snapped. No tricks will work on him now, he'll just ignore everything. A straight-up slugfest with Adam Taurus it is then…'

Elbow block. Side kick. Side-STEP. Counter.

I likely was only a few minutes, but especially with Chronometry active, I felt like I was trading blows with Adam for nearly half an hour. I was trying to give as good as I got, but…

"GUUUHH!" I staggered back, catching my breath for a few merciful seconds as Adam was also pausing for the moment. As I watched him also heave for breath, a bruise on his cheek from a particular hard punch of mine, I realized Chronometry was no longer active, likely from low Aura.

'No wonder why I've been taking more hits…that's not good…' I wasn't sure how I looked compared to Adam, but I was sure my robe at this point was also covering more than a few injuries. Used to operating without Aura, I could fight, but things were not stacked in my favor.

"Adam!" Blake jumped towards him and tried propping him up, handing the Faunus Wilt.

"I'm sorry Kouzai, she managed to slip away for a moment and pull Adam's blade from Mirror's Edge," Ren spoke from beside me, looking a little worse for wear as he limped. "She also uses a strange semblance, something to do with-"

"Clones. I caught a few glimpses of yours and Nora's fights," I finished, looking over at Ren and nodding. "It's alright. I wasn't faring any better against Adam."

'A semblance like Blake's would definitely give her fine Aura control, enough to work out the trick to Mirror's Edge and get Wilt back.' Still thinking, a large thud caught my ear as Ilia bodily landed in the dirt in front of Adam and Blake, weakly getting to her feet using Blush as leverage.

"Alright, I've hit someone with Magnhild, I'm satisfied." I wasn't even surprised at Nora's voice slightly behind me, and a sideways glanced at her showed she was still charged with electricity, either from the initial shock by Ilia or repeated exposures during their fight. 'What a nightmarish matchup for Ilia…'

"Adam, we need to fall back. Those stationed in Kuchinashi have notified us that the police are coming. _All of them_," Blake stressed, and seemingly prompted, my hearing returned with clarity as I heard the faint sound of sirens and bullhead engines.

"But these _interferers_ still stand before us, as does the Schnee facility," Adam sneered. "How can we call our mission a success when the symbol of our oppression still-"

"This mission _wasn't_ a success, Adam!" Ilia cut in beside in, and Adam _and_ Blake gaped at her. But the chameleon Faunus was on a roll. "Look around! So many dead, both SDC and innocent Faunus! And you want to jeopardize the safety of the rest of our cell to chase after some researchers! Forget about the optics, and focus on the _lives_ of Faunus that can still be saved."

"Adam, please…" Blake whispered beside him, and that seemed to cut through Adam's blind rage. Letting out a hissed breath between clenched teeth, Adam took Blush back from Ilia and sheathed Wilt, before waving a hand out at Nora, Ren and I.

"We may retreat tonight, but know that you have made a permanent enemy of the White Fang. Take caution, and live knowing that we _will_ find you." Turning, the three White Fang members dashed into the night, and all three of us sagged once they were out of sight.

"That was pretty tough," Nora admitted, though she was in the best shape of the three of us. "You think the White Fang has a lot of fighters that good?"

"I would assume not. At least not at the operative level," Ren replied, trying to work the knots out of his leg. "Fortunately, we prevailed tonight thanks to-AAAAAHH!"

Ren's statement was viciously cut off as I grabbed both him and Nora, yanking the two along unceremoniously now that I had my breath back.

"Did you two happen to forget we don't want to be on the scene when the cops get here? Surrounded by the bodies of SDC employees and White Fang soldiers, in front of a sieged SDC facility?" I hissed as teal and pink eyes widened.

"Oh."

… … …

It took hours, but we circled _far_ around the estimated search area for any suspects, before burning our outfits with Fire Dust and burying it to be safe. Stowing any suspicious materials inside a backpack placed outside the city limits and heading to the _direct opposite_ entrance of Kuchinashi, we were waved through a checkpoint by guards who weren't looking closely at anyone who _wasn't_ a Faunus. Returning to our hotel as the sun was rising, we entered our room and collapsed on our beds.

"No more all-nighter missions…" Nora grumbled into her pillow. "Only sleep…"

"How much longer do we have this room for again?" I wearily turned my head towards Ren, who was the only one of us making the effort to change into sleeping clothes.

"Two days."

"Wake me up in three…" Nora groaned.

… … …

"…And in other news, the perpetrators of the White Fang attack on an SDC facility outside Kuchinashi still remain at large. Police have determined that high-ranking member Adam Taurus was responsible for the attack, and urge citizens to report with any information on Taurus or suspicious Faunus activity.

In addition, Kuchinashi authorities have recently revealed footage of a dark-clothed figure who is shown fighting both SDC automatons _and_ White Fang soldiers. This individual's motives remain unclear, but due to an announcement from the White Fang denouncing this individual as the 'specter of the White Fang,' authorities and citizens alike have begun deeming this individual as 'The Specter'. More on-"

I hastily shut off the television and looked around the orphanage common area to make sure no one heard that, but thankfully, Nora and Ren weren't in the room, and all the other wards weren't interested in the boring news. 'Thank the gods for the self-centeredness of teenagers and young children…'

A bunch of cheering outside prompted my attention as I realized the height of the event was beginning soon, meaning my appearance was needed, lest I face Ms. Fujiko's and Nora's wrath. Taking a deep breath, I opened the orphanage door and stepped outside…only to be tackled by a head of blond hair. I staggered a couple steps and planted my feet, halting the momentum of the monkey Faunus latched around my neck.

"Why Sun, I had no idea you cared so much," I quipped dryly, making no small effort to pry his hands off.

"Says you! You've saved my life, let me stick it to some prejudicial Atlesian soldiers, helped me become friends with Pyrrha Nikos, and helped stop _a White Fang attack while on vacation for securing a CCT relay tower for your town_! I mean, dude!" Sun's arm was slung around my shoulders jovially, a mood echoed by everyone in town for the flower viewing festival. Save for one.

"Where, did you hear about us stopping the White Fang attack?" I asked, though something told me I already knew the answer.

My face must've given away the game as Sun gulped. "Ohhhh, was that meant to be secret? 'Cause Nora's giving the play-by-play story of the fight…"

"And who…has she told so far?"

Sun began counting fingers. "Me, Pyrrha, Jaune, Scarlet, Weylin-"

"Oh-kay! Thank you for that Sun!" I cut the Faunus off before he got to the second hand. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find a certain pancake-eating hammer-wielder."

Storming off, I made my way through the crowds, and eventually found the distinct hair combination of blond, black, and two redheads. Approaching Team JNPR, I heard Nora giving her tale of events to Jaune and Pyrrha, for the second time it appeared.

"So there we were, surrounded by fifty White Fang operatives!"

"There were three."

"Bullets were flying everywhere and the police flew into the middle of the fight!"

"There were few bullets, and the police arrived after all parties had left the scene."

"But eventually, we beat Adam Taurus and all his men, and were given the key to the city!"

"Both sides mutually fled from the police, and we snuck back into the city to avoid being suspected."

"Which is why…" I growled behind a flinching Nora, a hand on top of her head, "we don't go around telling everyone we know that we were involved."

"Good to see you, Kouzai."

"Hello again!"

"How's it going, Kouzai?"

"EEEEP!"

"Threats aside, I do trust that Nora only told the story to people that we trust to be discreet." A look towards Sun, Jaune and Pyrrha had them nodding vigorously.

"Definitely, you have my Arc's word."

"Absolutely, we would never betray your trust like that!"

"My lips are sealed, man."

"Great, moving onto the more fun stuff then? How's Sanctum and huntsmen training going for you three?"

"Oh, so great. I'm near the top of our sparring class, though I'm still a ways behind a _certain three-time regional tournament champion_." Sun jabbed a thumb towards Pyrrha, whose face burned from embarrassment.

"I suppose…my training has been progressing…well…" Pyrrha replied lamely, before seeing a new target of conversation. "But _Jaune_, has been improving at a remarkable rate. Frankly, he's already absorbed much of my basic form and technique for using a sword-and-shield combination!"

A nervous Jaune rubbed the back of his head. "I've been doing alright, in the spare time I have after school. Being trained by both my father _and_ Pyrrha has helped me loads, so all the credit to them."

My shipping senses were tingling, and I capitalized. "Sooooo, Pyrrha, you've been helping Jaune _a lot _recently, have you? A lot of interaction then? Anything you'd like to tell the peanut gallery?"

Both Jaune and Pyrrha stiffened at my questions, faces turning equally bright red as they looked at each other. Jaune was the first to recover, letting out a deep breath as he reached for Pyrrha's hand.

"Trust you to be the first outside my family to figure it out," Jaune muttered, but his dopey smile was on full display. "We wanted to wait until we were all together to tell everyone…Pyrrha and I are together. Together-together."

Pyrrha's smile was radiant, but Nora's reaction took the cake.

"TOGETHER-TOGETHER!? FINALLY!" Nora screamed, jumping up and squeezing both Jaune and Pyrrha in some abomination of a hug.

"Yup…I'll do my best…to become someone…worthy of her…" Jaune wheezed, white Aura flashing from the pressure.

"He already is," Pyrrha warmly replied, seemingly unphased by the eye-popping hug she was receiving.

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW-"

"While I'm curious to see exactly how long Nora can go without breathing, that does remind me." Sun grinned, but the smile was far more mischievous than Nora, Jaune or Pyrrha's. "How's our resident powerhouse doing in the romance department? Or how about my boy Ren?"

Nora instantly let Jaune and Pyrrha go in favor of shyly hiding her face and sending hurried glances at Ren. Ren, on the other hand, seemed to have gone completely still. 'Huh, never thought I'd actually encounter the whole .exe scenario. Well, since neither of them are answering…'

"I'm sure both Nora and Ren will find that special someone for them. _Soon_, I'm sure." I looked pointedly at Nora and Ren, both of whom were avoiding looking at me. Giving them time to cool off, I turned to Sun. "But enough about them? How are the two hottest guys of Sanctum doing, hmm? I can't help but notice you don't have a lady around."

"Heh, you can't lock all of this down!" Sun blustered, before scratching his head. "But really, I think I'm just waiting for the right person to come along. It'll be like fate."

'Or CRWBY moving the plot along in Volume 1.' I rolled my eyes and spared a look out towards the rest of the festival going on, gazing out at the floating sakura petals and butterflies flying around as the base of the future CCT relay tower was in the background. In all honesty, the scene was rather pictur…huh…

"Well _Kouzai_, how are your romantic prospects looking?" Ren questioned, having rebooted to deliver a lethal shot my way as those present turned to me. However, my attention was instead on a particular face in the crowd. "Do you happen to have your eye on someone?"

"Yeah yeah…just give me a second…" Leaving the conversation behind, I drifted forward through groups of people, out towards a group of blossoming trees where at the base of one, stood a girl with shoulder length electric blue hair, the same color as the butterflies present. Dressed in a black tailjacket, maroon jeans and black sneakers, her electric blue eyes gazed directly at me, smirking as she knew I remembered her attire and the freckles on her face, letting her eye-catching hair and eye color draw my attention.

"Hi…" Ilia said awkwardly as I drew near, looking out at the festival. "This all looks nice."

That it did, but _far_ more important things at the moment. "What are you doing here? Is the White Fang surveilling us now? Is this recon for an attack?" I made to do a scan of the town square, but a hand on my shoulder stopped me.

"Wait! I'm not…I'm not here for that. I'm not with the White Fang. Not anymore…" Ilia said, rubbing her left arm with her right.

I was dumbfounded. "You left? Why?"

A deep, soulful sigh. "You, you were right, partially. The White Fang, or at least Adam, have gone too far in their priorities. They care less about helping the Faunus and more about just making humans pay. I just…couldn't' deal with all the innocent blood spilled, on both sides, anymore. So I left."

A few synapses were mercifully firing again. "And what about your, uh, friend? The cat Faunus? You two looked like you were close."

Ilia's eyes squinted in pain as she uncontrollably turned blue. "She…I couldn't do that to her. Make her choose between Adam and I. We may be close, but they're closer. I didn't want-"

"You didn't want to hear from her that she wouldn't come with you," I murmured, and Ilia miserably nodded. I sighed. "Yeah, that's…that's tough. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I know you were just doing what you thought was right. I know you were just trying to get Adam to back off back in Kuchinashi, and weren't trying to kill him." Ilia's words had me stiffening for a moment before she continued. "Don't worry, I'm the only one in the White Fang who knows what any of you look like, and it's only because I had that conversation with you beforehand so I recognized your voice. The Fang may have made the public announcement seeking to claim your head, but Anima is a big place, so they'll have a tough time figuring out just who's under the mask."

"Thank you. I just want to keep my friends safe," I replied emphatically. "You didn't have to keep the information from the White Fang, but you did."

"You could have given me up to the police in Kuchinashi when we first spoke too, but you didn't," Ilia said simply, and I had no rebuttal to that.

"So what now?" I asked, because this was _not_ something I'd planned for whatsoever. "Would you like to stay with us? I'm sure my friends wouldn't ask too many questions, and having four people on a mission is a safer bet so…"

"Thank you, but no. This is something I have to figure out on my own." By this point, Ilia had managed to shift back to her normal appearance, albeit with electric blue eyes and hair. "I need to do what _I_ think is right, or at least figure out what I think is right."

"Yeah, and you can do that here, where you _won't_ be hunted down for deserting the White Fang. It's unbelievably dangerous out there without someone to watch your back," I insisted, but Ilia continued shaking her head.

"I'll be fine. Blake wouldn't let them put a kill order out on me, I know that much. And I _was_ a White Fang operative. I know how to take care of myself, blend in and operate alone."

"Really? Because I still picked you out of all these people," I pointed out. "Electric blue hair and eyes, a competent disguise does not make."

"Wanna bet? You couldn't pick me out of a crowd if I was _really_ trying," Ilia countered, before looking at something behind me and grinning. "You're welcome to try though."

"What do you-"

"Kouzai!" I whirled around to see Jaune stumbling out of the crowd. "The others have been looking for you, something about getting ready for the ceremony. What are you doing out here?"

"Can't you see I was…" I gestured at empty air for a moment, then spun in place with Chronometry active, eyes scanning the crowds for any-aha! "Can't talk, see you later!"

I dashed forward, doing my best to weave through the crowds as I kept my eye on that distinctive hair color. Almost through, I reached out and grasped Ilia's shoulder. "Ilia!"

The girl turned, and it took about a second of brain-crashing realization to see that this girl _was not_ Ilia, and apologized. 'Probably someone whose hair and eye color she copied.' I furiously scanned the crowd, but caught no sight of her around. "Damn, she played me good…"

I wanted to search for her, but I knew the odds of me tracking down a chameleon Faunus with espionage training were slimmer than none. For now, she was gone.

"There, You, Are!" Nora glomped me out of nowhere. "C'mon, we gotta get ready for the ceremony! This one's extra-important because of the relay tower, so you'll probably be giving a speech!"

"I can't help but feel this is some sort of secret punishment by Ms. Fujiko…" I groaned, before shaking Nora off. "Go on, tell them I'll be there in a second. I need to grab my speech from the orphanage." As I sent Nora on her way, I entered the orphanage and made sure no one was in sight. Walking down one of the corridors, I searched for a specific floorboard, carefully removing the nails and pulling the plank up. Reaching in, I pulled out a small bundle, one I received from Lil Miss' after completion of my mission. Confirming that my backpack containing the experimental AK-130 arm and blueprints were also present, I unwrapped the bundle and pulled out a scroll from among the folds of a spare robe and volto mask. Searching the contacts, I put in a call that was soon picked up.

"Weeeeeelllll, if it isn't our 'Specter'. How's infamy treatin' you?"

"Very well, so long as the identity of the Specter remains confidential. I take it the AK-130 blueprints were satisfactory?"

"You'd be correct, hon. You kept your end of the deal, and I'll keep mine. You said you needed information on people. Got an idea of who?"

"A few, for starters. Tell me what you can on Adam Taurus, Marcus Black, and Cinder Fall."

**TIME REMAINING UNTIL START OF CANON: 2 YEARS**

… … …

… … …

"Blake, are you alright?...Blake?"

"Go away…" Blake groaned, keeping her eyes shut as she laid on her bed. She didn't feel like talking with Adam at the moment, didn't even feel like thinking, and certainly not about-NO!

Blake turned restlessly on her side, and the noise must've been enough for Adam, because he gently opened the door. "Blake, it's been days now. Talk to me, you can trust me."

She did, but talking would mean thinking, and she didn't want to do that. Nonetheless, Blake took a shuddering breath. "Why…why did she leave?"

Adam's answer was instant. "Because she's a coward. She doesn't have the strength of heart, the will to make the hard choices, to fight for the Faunus. And that's okay, because the White Fang don't need her, and we'll fight on behalf of the Faunus too afraid to fight for themselves."

"It's not OKAY!" Blake shouted, before her throat caught and she pulled her knees inward, hiding in her arms. "It's not…"

What was worse? The fact that Ilia had left, or the fact that Ilia had left _without her_? Without telling her?"

"Why did she leave?" Blake repeated, voice muffled by her arms. "She believed in the cause just as much as we did, so why?"

"She must've been misled by the Specter," Adam spat, and Blake looked up to see that Adam had removed his mask, showing one red eye and one blue eye seething with hate. "Such falsehoods are why we need to hunt him down, and prevent him from poisoning the minds of any other Faunus away from our righteous cause."

Looking at Blake for a moment, his one eye gazed into her amber, before the moment of vulnerability was over and he donned the Grimm mask once again. Striding towards the door, he opened it and stopped. "Take a bit longer to rest. Just remember that our brothers and sisters need you out there."

Closing the door, Blake was left in darkness, both comforting and terrifying at the same time. Comforting because of her enjoyment of it, terrifying to be left alone with her thoughts.

Ilia had left after hearing the Specter's words. Adam said the Specter was misleading the Faunus. Either Ilia and the Specter were right, or Adam was right.

Adam was right. But did that mean Ilia was wrong?

Adam's vengeful, hating face appeared in Blake's mind. Then a flash of Ilia's sorrow at the dead Faunus miners.

Hate. Sorrow. Hate. Sorrow.

Emotions roiled, and ideals warred.

**A/N: Man, I am not making these year-end stingers very cheerful, am I? Nonetheless, it's that thought-provoking question that Blake is left with in Ilia's departure. And who saw that coming, eh? What, everyone? Alright then.**

**I do hope the fight met everyone's expectations, but that'd be a tad too optimistic. I figured the Adam of three years before canon would be slightly less skilled than portrayed in the Black Trailer for RWBY. Add that to having multiple skilled combatants with a set game plan tailored to take him down, and you might see why it was believable for him to take a few licks. As for his rage though, that is almost entirely linked to Blake, which is why he only lost his cool after her and Ilia showed up.**

**So, yeah. I also added the first portrayal of the flower viewing festival, to also stage the meeting grounds for those introduced thus far to come, and for that conversation with Ilia to take place. Who knows what the future holds? Seriously, beyond the next five or so chapters, who?**

**OMAKE**

"So let me get this straight: You were out in the Emerald Forest, killing Grimm by yourself."

"Yep."

"And you encountered too many, and your Aura broke while fighting them."

"Yup."

"So you managed to escape, but wound up taking a slash to your arm, cracked your ribs, bruised your jaw, got a black eye, and injured your leg.

"Yessir."

"And _all of this_, happened out of range of the cameras Headmaster Ozpin has set up to monitor students _for this exact situation_?"

"Eeyup."

Yang glared at me across the booth we were seated in, and I desperately sipped at my nearly-empty drink while paying an unnatural amount of attention to the vividly blue hair antenna of a patron across the diner.

"Ok!" Ruby said, talking a large gulp of her milkshake. "You really should be more careful though. Maybe next time you can take Yang and I along, or maybe just Yang since I don't have much experience with Grimm yet."

'Bless your innocent heart, Ruby. But _please_ don't leave me alone with a suspicious Yang!'

With Ruby persuaded however, Yang relented and lounged in her seat. "Killing Grimm would sure be a break from all the boring sparring at Signal. It's always over too soon, the arena's too small, and I'm out of opponents who want to fight me!"

Yang swooned and dramatically laid a hand on her forehead in despair. Ruby and I rolled our eyes, but a snippet of news caught my ear.

"…This individual, known for his domino mask and mantle, has been designated 'the Phantom' by local Vale authorities. It is unknown what the Phantom's goal is, but video and eyewitness reports of the masked individual fighting a hidden branch of White Fang members in Vale lead experts to believe-"

… … …

"the Wraith may be anti-Faunus, or at the very least Anti-White Fang. Rumors and uncorroborated reports claim the Wraith is in the employ of SDC CEO Jacques Schnee and his family. Pictures captured showing the Wraith protecting SDC heiress Weiss Schnee from White Fang attackers lends credence to the theory. For any news on this cloaked individual, please tune-"

"Well, look at that. You've got some street cred now, and a whole lot of it." Roman grinned, enjoying my frustration.

"Oh, COME ON! All I did was protect Weiss from a few attackers, she was already kicking ass when I got there! Just because of that, I'm somehow working for Jacques Schnee now, and am anti-Faunus?" I looked sideways at Neo, who smirked over at me, _still_ somehow unbothered by the frigid temperatures outside. 'Seriously, is it just that all short women are immune to the cold? We literally walked past some blue-haired girl in a _sundress_ earlier!'

"Like it or not, people are talking about 'the Wraith' now. Jeez that's a stupid name. The plus is that one way or another, people will hear about what you did and want you for jobs. Those guys will ask for information on you, and _those_ guys will inevitably get in contact with me. Isn't it great?" Roman's arms spread wide, catching some falling snow. "Even when you do the work, _I_ still win!"

"Hate you _so_ much," I muttered. 'If it wasn't for the fact that me having a reputation might allow me to stay in the know on any happenings involving Salem or Cinder, I'd smack Roman upside the head. Then again…"

"Hey Neo," I called out, as heterochromatic eyes turned to gaze at me. "If you smack Roman a few times in the face with Hush, I'll buy you some of the specialty ice cream that Atlas has around here."

Pink and brown eyes lit up, before swiveling over to a nervous Roman.

"H-hey now kid. Let's not be hasty and hold a grudge here. C'mon Kouzai, you know I was just joking…"

"The more you hit him, the more ice cream I'll buy you."

"You rat-ass son of a-AAAAAAAAHHH!"

**A/N: Ah, gotta love the dynamic between Roman and Neo at times, and all the ways to mess with it. I also spent a bit of time coming up with the different titles for Kouzai's disguises. Just a little extra I like putting into things. And hey, now Kouzai has unofficially met all the members of RWBY.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 11/11/19**


	15. Chapter 12: A Rolling Stone

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Guess who just watched episode 1 of Volume 7? This guy! But in all seriousness, there wasn't really information that needed to be added in this fic, so rest assured that spoilers will not occur. In other news, I have some reviews to address, since a decent number of readers had something to say about this past chapter, so here we go.**

**DG2: Sorry to hear you didn't like the way this fic started, or the choice of timeline. It's a completely valid viewpoint to have though, so best of luck finding something you enjoy reading.**

**Gobert600: Good to hear from you again. I will state that due to Kouzai's training and experiences, he will most definitely have an edge on the canon characters, including Cardin. **

**Maxobb: I apologize if it looks like I wrote the chapter and Ilia to give the appearance that I intend to ship the two characters together. My intention is for a friendship between the two, rather than a romantic relationship. As Ilia has only been portrayed in canon thus far to have feelings for Blake, and given Blake's comment towards Neptune trying to flirt with Ilia, I will be sticking to the portrayal of Ilia as a lesbian until any further facts are provided in RWBY. Hopefully that doesn't upset any readers, but what can you do.**

**The Inquisitor: You know, your review sounds very similar to that of a certain guest posting reviews towards the start of the fic. As the current rate of increasing explosive magnitude, I shudder to think of what the solution will be after orbital bombardment.**

**Gizmo Gear: Always good to get your reviews. I also very much enjoy writing these omakes, and am glad others enjoy reading them, so definitely look forward to more.**

**Theepicmonsta: You're very welcome, and thank you for the compliments. I try to adhere to the philosophy of planning before writing as much as possible, though engagements such as grad school and work can put a damper on that. As for the direction of this story with Nora and Ren, I completely understand that some were surprised at the choice that won in the polls, given that fics with a major focus on Nora and Ren are nearly unheard of as opposed to Ozpin/Glynda or Roman/Neo. Like I've said in previous chapters, I had fun ideas for each choice, but it's good to know that this fic is well received enough to be more appealing than some of the Roman and Neo ones out there.**

**Raidentensho: Thanks for the compliment. Excelsior would be an interesting name for Jaune's semblance, but unfortunately Kouzai is already aware of Jaune's semblance name, as inane as it is.**

**Chapter 12: A Rolling Stone**

**Chapter Date 11/11/19**

CLANG

'Superior sense of balance. Ability to lodge weapons between attached blades. Fine Aura cont-c'mon, I'm supposed to be thinking of a weakness here!...Got it!'

Weaving through controlled combinations of slashes, kicks and gunfire with Stormflower, I responded with parries, blocks and returned fire from Mirror's Edge. Ren wasn't making much progress in whittling my Aura down, but I wasn't making much headway on landing hits against the flexible fighter. Good with his limbs, he was a nimble striker, with a good combination of weapon and Aura skills. But outside the area of striking?

Chronometry active, I split Mirror's Edge apart, and did my best to deflect the flurry of shots from Stormflower capitalizing on the opening in my defense. Gritting my teeth, I pressed forward towards Ren, holstering one of my longswords and pointing the other at Ren. Twisting my body, I tossed my first longsword like a javelin, using the full-body momentum to rotate and grab my other longsword from my back. As Ren ducked under the bladed projectile, I dashed into his range and cleaved downward with the other half of Mirror's Edge, held in both hands. With impressive core strength, Ren leaned out of the way of the strike and made to hook my blade with Stormflower. As his weapons came in contact with mine, Ren's pink irises flared in mute satisfaction…only to narrow as a wide grin came over my face.

Waiting for the exact moment in the perception of Chronometry, I felt the slowed vibration of colliding metal travel up my arms, and heaved upwards as hard as I could with both hands pressed against the flat side of Mirror's Edge. With superior fast-twitch muscle control and the element of surprise, I wrenched Stormflower from Ren's hands as all three weapons flew skyward, though neither Ren nor I paid them any attention. Immediately recovering, Ren thrusted a pulsing palm forward and my head rocked back as the wave of Aura rattled my skull. As momentum started to force me back, I looked down and grabbed Ren's arm, locking it against my side. Pulling Ren with me, I dug my feet in and reached behind my back with my left hand. As Ren was almost chest-to-chest with me, I pulled Corona out and pointed it at Ren's head. A momentary widening of Ren's eyes was all the warning that he had, but a smirk on his face was all _I_ had, as pain flared at my left side. A near-instant glance down showing one of Ren's knives digging into the Aura near-centimeters from my heart, I grimaced momentarily.

'Well played.'

BANG BANG BANG

Pulling the trigger as fast as I could manage, a trio of shots hit Ren's head, chest and shoulder, the combined force pushing him away as Ren managed one last wide slash across my torso. Both of us remaining on our feet, the clear sound of the Aura alarm rang, and we both paused to looked at an intensely focused Nora as our weapons clattered against the ground nearby. Both scrolls held in front of her face, furtive teal eyes darted back and forth between both screens. Then slowly, she rotated her hands so the screens faced us.

Kouzai Higure: 22%

Lie Ren: 14%

"…I won?" My dumbfounded face on full display, I was completely uncaring as I stared at the numbers on the screen.

Three and a half years. Over a thousand fights. And finally, _finally_…

"YOU WON!" A pink-clad meteor collided with me and proceeded to wrap life-squeezing arms around me. Inhumanly dense muscles were like silly putty when matched up to _even more_ inhumanly dense muscles.

"Congratulations." Ren rubbed a likely sore spot on his forehead, gracefully glided over and clapped a hand on my shoulder. "It was well-fought and well-planned as well. How long have you been considering that strategy to disarm me of Stormflower?"

There was no way I could tell either of them that I'd been coming up with combat contingencies for nearly every character in RWBY since the last flower viewing festival. After our encounter with the White Fang, and nearly having to fight Blake, I came to the hard conclusion that I might not always have the benefit of being friendly with some characters in the show, be they heroic or villainous. Planning for the antagonists of RWBY wouldn't be enough, not when there was still time before canon began to encounter other characters on less-than-favorable grounds. Not to mention if those encounters occurred while on a mission as the Specter.

"I just picked up on things after fighting you for years now." Both true and false, considering that I knew Ren and Nora's fighting styles more intimately than any other combatant on Remnant, so coming up with countermeasures against them was theoretically the easiest. On the other hand though, facing me and each other in hundreds and hundreds of spars had led to all of us constantly evolving, covering our weaknesses and improving our strengths. As this point, I had no idea how much stronger I'd made them in the course of capitalizing on their weaknesses in canon.

They'd need it though. If not for the possibility of the Fall of Beacon happening, then… "I need to tell you both something…" Nora and Ren stopped their usual comedy routine to look concerned.

"Is something wrong, Kouzai?" Ren was the first to ask.

'Something will be. Something no one else knows about yet.' I'd spent so many nights in the months since encountering with the White Fang just wracking my brain. I'd been here three years already, and save getting Jaune's family to train him as a huntsman and getting Ilia to leave the White Fang, there wasn't much I'd contributed to helping prevent any of the atrocities that I knew were coming. And really, it was the one big one which led to most of the others. To nip such conflicts in the bud meant…

"I need to travel to Vale." I had to put my life on the line now to have a chance of making it later on.

Unsurprisingly, Nora and Ren looked dumbfounded, but Nora was the first to recover. "Vale? Why would you need to go there? We're still over a year away from being able to apply to Beacon. This is what was so important?"

I shook my head, mentally bracing myself for what I'd unfold. "No, it's not Beacon. I…I've been remembering things, bits and flashes about my past. Nothing substantive, but-"

"You believe your past, or some clue of it to be in Vale," Ren finished for me, and I nodded. He was silent for a moment, before giving a sincere smile. "Good. Do you require any assistance?"

'…What?...' "Uhh, you know I just dropped that I'll have to leave Mistral, likely sooner rather than later, to go to a whole new kingdom for the barest hint to my past?" At that, Nora nodded vigorously, her own megawatt smile now present.

"Yup, and that's good." I wasn't making any effort to hide my confusion here. "I'm serious! For years, since we've met you, you've been almost adamant about not finding out about your past. I mean, the doctors said your memory might return with time, but it was almost eerie how unconcerned you were with having a majority of your life be forgotten to you."

"In more, polite terms," Ren continued while looking exasperated at Nora, "to see you focused on wanting to discover something, anything about your past, regardless of whether it might be a long shot, is a humane trait."

Now it was my turn to look dumbfounded. 'I know I haven't been playing the whole amnesiac front that well, but I didn't realize I was coming across as _unconcerned_ about the whole thing! Maybe it's because I never actually forgot anything.'

Then their words registered. "Wait, are you saying that I'm _inhuman_ at times? Like, moreso than the average superpowered Aura user?" Again, both Nora and Ren nodded.

"You have an atmosphere about you, a presence that appears unflappable to most things, even when it comes to topics like meeting celebrities, high-ranking military personnel and even _terrorists_." Ren counted off some fingers while Nora took over.

"Not to mention, you have know waaay more stuff than anyone would expect someone with amnesia to be able to remember or learn. That, and you've got a protective streak a mile wide when it comes to us and your other friends." Nora looked to the side at Ren with both hands covering his face. "What? I thought this was common knowledge by now."

'Not to me! _Dust_, I have _not_ been covering my tracks well. But…' "Debates on my protectiveness aside, I only know a little more than the average citizen when it comes to most subjects, and a lot less when it comes to others. And what about you, Nora? You've got such a flair with Dust that you've been _mixing your own explosive mix for your canisters_! That's true genius there."

"Yeah, but _I_ don't have amnesia," Nora pointed out matter-of-factly. "Plus, I may be able to do a whole lot with Dust, but it's not like I can explain it. It just kinda happens. You on the other hand, can learn subjects fast _and_ teach them to others."

"That's just because I'm trying to learn about things that will help as a Huntsmen, and teach them to you two." I pinched my nose in frustration. "The point is, I have an idea of where I'll need to go, and it's something I'd rather find out for myself."

Ren nodded, his pink eyes gazing off in thought. "Quite understandable. Will you require our assistance in narrowing down the area?"

'Tempting, but I'm already looking far too suspicious as it is. If they were to track me to the area, or hear about what happens there, I'll have some _very_ tough questions to answer.' Good thing I had an alternative. "I'll be alright. I plan on spending some time in Vale anyways, so locating the area in particular shouldn't be too difficult."

"Very well. And you mentioned you would rather depart sooner than later?" Ren's eyes narrowed at my confirmation. "Then let's make preparations then."

"Uhh, for what?" My shoulder then stung from a 'tap' of Nora's fist.

"To see you off, silly! We might not be coming with you to Vale, but we can at least travel with you to the coast! Think of it like a send-off mission, with the promise to reunite in the future!"

"Nora, I believe you've been watching too many of those romance movies lately…"

"Actually Ren, I don't think either of you have been watching enough."

"…"

… … …

The good news was that in the course of our impromptu missions over the past few years, we'd become adept at being quick on the fly. Supplies on hand, permissions and a stern warning by Ms. Fujiko, and a discreet order placed to Weylin later, we were back on the road en route to the western coast of Anima. Along the way, I mentioned we needed to make a stop in Mistral, so that I could get tickets on a ship headed for Vale.

The bad news was that it'd taken me a few months to make the decision, and a couple more to consider myself ready. Meaning that the leaves were already beginning to fall as autumn approached. And with autumn, came…

"So this is what the Vytal Festival looks like when held in Mistral," Ren murmured as we traversed the crowded streets, as Amity Coliseum floated high above our heads. Countless stalls were set in front of the proper shops, selling wares with the promise of more inside. Citizens, students and Huntsmen alike were present in force, and I kept a wary eye out for any familiar faces, or worse, any faces that might become familiar.

"This…is…AWESOME!" Nora exclaimed, drawing looks for all of two seconds as she leaped up in the air, before grabbing Ren's arm. "We need to see EV-ERY-THING!"

'Now there's an idea.' "Speaking of which, why don't you and Ren take the time to check the festival out while I'm getting travel arrangements? Let's say, we meet up by the western gate in a couple hours?"

Ren looked simultaneously happy and horrified at the prospect of extended time along with festival-mood Nora. "Kouzai, I firmly believe-"

"Alright Kouzai have fun we'll tell you all about it later!" Already fading in the distance, Ren almost went airborne as Nora zoomed away towards the festival proper.

'I swear, if those two don't get together soon…' Shaking my head, I put thoughts of shipping on the backburner as I descended into the seedier part of Mistral once again. Now familiar with the route, I was inside of the Spiders' headquarters shortly, approaching the table of an amused Lil' Miss.

"Weeeellll, hello to you." Even partially hidden behind her fan, a crinkling of Lil Miss' eyes told me she was smiling. Or smirking. "I was beginnin' to think you'd been caught entering Mistral."

"Not while I have anything to say about it." I'd taken painstaking efforts to make sure the Specter and Kouzai Higure wouldn't be linked together, though I knew it wouldn't remain secret forever. Hopefully, the secret would last long enough for me to make my contributions towards lasting peace. "I trust you received my notification of intention to travel to Vale?"

"That I did, though I'm a bit surprised you're changing venues, in a manner of speaking." Lil Miss' eyes narrowed, her fan shutting with a snap. "You don't have any plans to jump ship for another employer, do you?"

I kept my gaze steady, not cracking under the various stares throughout the tavern. "So long as the confidential information I've placed with you doesn't make its way to other individuals, I have no reason to seek other work, given that you likely have connections in Vale as well. Besides, who would I even work for in Vale? Torchwick? With all his wisecracking, I'd be liable to strangle him."

Lil' Miss remained silent for a few moments, before cracking a smile. "Right you are, hon. Just had to be sure. After all, you've been doin' good work, what with the AK-130 blueprints and that heist you pulled off a few months back."

The thought of the experimental arm I'd taken from the SDC facility weighed on me for a moment, but I'd completed my objective of getting the core blueprints to Lil' Miss. As information on members of Cinder's crew and the White Fang trickled in, I took a few more jobs as the Specter to keep the flow of information steady. No assassinations or anything so dark, but still tasks that didn't sit well. Whatever the case, I made sure to keep Mirror's Edge at home during these missions, sticking to Corona and my base martial arts skills to eke out results.

"Well, I'd rather do work in other kingdoms for a while, make sure the fires in Mistral die down a little," I supplied to Lil' Miss. "I also have personal matters to attend to while in Vale."

"Oh? And are these matters business or pleasure?" Lil' Miss inquired, taking a casual sip from her cup.

"Perhaps a little of both," I answered honestly. Lil' Miss smirked coldly.

"The most dangerous kind of task. Well, if your plate isn't too full, I _do_ have a mission of sorts for you while you're in Vale. Something best suited for a cute thing like yourself." Lil' Miss leaned forward. "Care to hear it?"

'With wording like that, not particularly.' I was at a dead end of my current research though, and needed to put forth more names to yield any results. Cinder Fall appeared to actually be a fictitious name given the complete lack of information on her, Adam kept operational matters locked tight among his personnel, and Marcus Black had gone off the grid a couple years back, stating something about 'a death in the family.' I tried very hard not to think about what that meant for Mercury. In the meantime, I need to expand my search, and to do that I needed to earn more favor with Lil' Miss.

"What do you have in mind?"

… … …

"…and there was this stand that sold _huge_ legs of mutton, and there was another stand that had this Menagerian sandwich with _super-soft_ buns! Oh, and we also had a giant bowl of noodles at this stand run by a really old shopkeeper." Nora gestured some hair tufts as I tried very hard not to think about the implications of an omnipresent Shopkeeper.

"Nora also took pleasure in meeting an individual shorter than herself," Ren commented dazedly, appearing to be mentally recovering from the whirlwind ordeal as Nora's eyes widened.

"Oh yeah! It was like the first time I've ever met someone shorter than me who wasn't a kid!...Well, a younger kid. Anyways, she also had an outfit in pink, white and black. A little too frilly for my tastes though, with that parasol of hers."

A mouthful of takoyaki went down the wrong pipe and I nearly had a coughing fit. "…d-did this girl happen to have hair in two different colors?"

"Yup! It was such an eye-catching split, pink on one side and brown on the other." Nora's eyes suddenly narrowed. "Why?"

'Play dumb!' "Err, I happened to see her while I was waiting for you two." 'Not that dumb!'

Knuckles popped like thunder. "You didn't ditch us to flirt with random girls, _did you_?"

"…I would say something in my defense about how I'm not a womanizer of any kind and get Ren to back me up, but something tells me he's not in a supporting mood right now." A quick glance over to Ren confirmed my karmic suspicions, and I sighed with my arms spread wide. "Let's get this over with."

"_Gladly_."

… … …

"Nora, I swear I _still_ feel that punch you gave me."

"Oh, stop whining! It's been weeks now, you're fine!"

"It's _because_ I still feel it after weeks that I'm worried! Ren, back me up here."

"…On one hand, it is quite plausible for Nora's blows to have lasting effects."

"Ha!"

"On the other hand, the fact that you still feel the effects may be symptomatic of an injury, which you don't appear to have."

"HA-HA!"

It'd been weeks since we departed from Mistral. Continuing to head south, we passed by Kuchinashi, where we did our best to avoid the ever-present volatile atmosphere between the humans and faunus there. Further south of that, we passed through Oniyuri, doing our best to avoid exuding negative emotions as Nora and Ren worked to suppress the emotions from passing by Kuroyuri, despite giving it a wide berth. Thankfully, Tyrian had absolutely no reason to be tracking us before canon, and no such encounter occurred. Finally heading west, we had a short stay in Higanbana, where I kept my eyes peeled for signs of a superpowered bandit queen or drunken rogue swordsman. By some miracle, neither were present.

'About time I'm due some good fortune.' Now we neared Shion, and I prayed to the Brothers that the village hadn't yet been assaulted by the Branwen Tribe. 'That would be one hell of a timeline repercussion I caused.'

Thankfully, I hadn't made any lasting impacts so drastic quite yet, and the village stood as we neared it. A solidly built town in the sprawl of forest surrounding this region of Anima, it was both a welcome and unwelcome sight. Another village passed meant more progress towards the coast. Towards Vale. Towards…

I swallowed and plastered a smile on my face. "About time we got here. What do you both say to finding an inn to rest the night?"

"We could use a break from the extensive walking," Ren commented, as Nora lazed around out of boredom. Because that's all it'd been thus far; walking. There were shockingly few Grimm encountered in this area of Anima, even with regular patrols of Hunstmen and Mistralian soldiers in airships and bullheads. 'Then again, my knowledge of Grimm in Shion and Higanbana was based on RNJR's travels in Volume 4, after the Fall. Maybe this is what it's normally like.'

As we searched for an inn, we came across a few options, eventually selecting the smallest, most modestly priced option over the more lavish counterpart, or the inn with a tavern built into it. 'God, I miss being able to drink alcohol. Not even drinking it, just the opportunity to.' The past few years however, I had no chance to indulge, given that Ms. Fujiko would've had my had if she caught even the barest scent of a drink on me. I'd managed to sneak in a few chances while out on missions for Lil' Miss, but those were few and far between, and taken in moderation given the serious nature of my work. 'Not that it ever stopped Qrow though, somehow.'

After having dinner and getting cleaned up, I exited the inn for a breath of fresh air, or more importantly, the chance to examine the village in an intact state. Around me, lights shined through windows and families travelled the streets, signs of life present in a village that might perish in the future. 'The Branwen Tribe, and then Grimm. There's little to no chance anything that I do will stop the Branwen Tribe from attacking, but maybe if this village gets it's defenses boosted or has an evacuation plan, they might survive the attack and be able to repel the Grimm without the Fall. Just another reason that I have to head to Vale.'

So engrossed was I in thought that I didn't notice the swaying figure that collided with my path. I tried steadying my footing, but a shockingly powerful core and legs kept the man upright, instead sending me to the ground as I bounced off the man's chest. Landing in a controlled three-point as opposed to my backside, I glared up. "You should…watch…where…"

Long gray dress shirt, black dress pants and dress shoes, a crooked cross pendant hanging from his neck. Three rings on his right hand glinted off the streetlights, along with the gear-emblazoned flask clutched in his hand. Half a greatsword hung at his back, as a tattered red cape trailed down to his knees. Spiky grayed hair hung limply near his dull red eyes, and pronounced stubble on his jawline shifted as the man's jaw worked.

"What? Y'got summin you wanna say t'me?" I mutely shook my head as Qrow Branwen snorted in derision. "Didn' think so."

Stumbling around me, Qrow ambled his way down the street towards a tavern, and it wasn't until he disappeared inside the building that my mind started working again.

'Does it count as jinxing myself if Qrow is here?'

… … …

… … …

Everything was soft shapes and dulled colors. Could barely see the liquor shelf in front of him if he squinted.

Good. Better this way.

Another greedy gulp of Huntsmen-strength whiskey seared his throat before numbness took over, a warmth settling in his stomach that drove off the tight coils that threatened to give him ulcers.

A scraping barstool was just barely audible in his haze, but the hand that snatched the unfinished drink from his grasp was certainly seen and felt. Gritted teeth and a glare turned sideways, before extinguishing at the vibrant red eyes that burned back at him.

"Pshh, whaddya want? Came to rub things in? Or lookin' to case this village 'fore you rob it?" A glance at his sister had her impassively taking a sip of _his drink_, before setting it down.

"Neither, birdbrain. Once upon a time, Shion might've made for a prospective raid target, but things have changed. Now we operate on a protection payment basis from Grimm and criminals."

"Heh, tsa damn protection racket isswa it is."

"Regardless, it comes at a much more reliable basis than Huntsmen or soldier patrols by Mistral. Much less death on all sides this way."

"Ooooh, lookie here, I'm Raven Branwen, saint an' savior of Mistral. I extort people for protection they already have, whoooooo."

"You know what's out-no, this isn't what I came for." The power of Raven's stare dialed down as, daresay, a hint of softness entered her eyes. "You should visit them. They miss you."

"Whassere to miss? They've got you, whenever you deign to visit. They don't want me around."

Fiery red irises returned to full power. "You know that isn't true, Qrow."

His stomach tightened without the warmth to ward it off.

The pipsqueak's teary face. The betrayal on firecracker's…

He wrenched the drink back from Raven and downed it one gulp, and the tightness went away. "Doesn't matter what's true or not. I stayed after you left, after Summer…because they needed someone, more than they could be hurt by Misfortune. Now though, they've got you just as often as they had me, without all the baggage my semblance brings. They _shouldn't_ want me around. And besides, this gives me more time to do work for Oz. Y'know, work you _abandoned_."

Raven flinched, tensed, then relaxed after considerable effort. "I told you, there's no point in fighting, no way to beat _her_. Maybe even no way to save yourself. But…that doesn't mean that you-we, should abandon what we have, be for fear or for martyrdom."

Raven suddenly turned her head, imperceptibly glancing backwards, before slowly rising from her seat and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Don't make the mistakes I've already made."

He didn't reply, staring down into his empty glass. He didn't stop until he heard the soft thrum of her portal disappear.

Ruby…Yang…

"Hey barkeep. I need another double."

**A/N: I reaaaally wanna go back to happy stingers, but this just wouldn't leave my head. Without the gaping hole in the Rose-Xiao Long household that Raven's disappearance and Summer's death left. With some involvement by Raven, there's no role that Qrow fulfills anymore besides the 'cool uncle', and with his opinions on his semblance, that's not a benefit that cancels out the harm he could do to the most important people in his life by being around them. Sorry for the short chapter, was slightly short on time this past week, and this is more of a setup chapter. Thankfully there's an omake.**

**OMAKE**

"Are you sure that I'm not taking time away from your duties as headmaster, professor Ozpin?"

"Of course not. At the current stage, all that's left for the headmasters of the academies to do is to observe the Vytal Festival Tournament, along with monitor the behavior of our various students. Really, such work is mostly handled this year by headmaster Leonardo."

'And that fills me with _such_ relief.' I glanced around nervously as I walked alongside Ozpin, both of us taking the time to _enjoy the festival_, of all things. "And you're positive that I'm not interrupting time used to say, meet with the other headmasters or contact professor Goodwitch?"

Ozpin affixed me with a look. "Kouzai, you know as well as I do that should Glynda wish to contact me, scheduled or unscheduled, no force on Remnant will prevent communication from reaching me. In addition, I _have_ made it clear by now that you needn't refer to her official title when we are conversing."

'Damnit old man, I'm trying to keep a sense of distance from you!' "…I'd rather not call her 'Mother' in front of you, if it's all the same." My cheeks burned as I looked away, the smile on Ozpin's face barely encroaching into hints of a smirk. Then the thought occurred to me. "You didn't answer my question on whether you have meetings with other headmasters today."

The smile promptly dropped away, and Ozpin took a heartily long sip of cocoa.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…There may…be such a meeting amongst headmasters later, in preparation of the Vytal Festival Tournament."

"And how much 'later', is later?"

"Approximately one hour from now…"

An Aura-enhanced push into his back had him _moving_. "One hour? And you're still here? Get moving! I don't need any of the headmasters putting me on their 'lists of animosity' or what have you!"

As Ozpin disappeared into the crowd, and I recovered from the fact that I just _shoved Ozpin_, and that _he let me_, I turned to gaze at the various stalls. 'So this is what the Vytal Festival looks like in person, and not on fire and stuff. It wouldn't hurt to look around until I have to return to Haven.'

As I stopped by various stalls, including a noodle stand that I swear was run by the _Shopkeeper_ _in Vale_, I was still lost in thought. 'Why did Glynda want me to attend the Vytal Festival this year, instead of waiting until Beacon's? I mean, I know I didn't go to Vacuo's since I was training, and I 'don't remember' any of the ones before it…okay, I can see why she insisted I tag along to this one. But accompanying _Ozpin_? I'm trying to _not_ get sucked into his inner circle, or get manipulated like a puppet by him!'

I sighed, before turning to an Atlesian ice cream stand nearby. 'Might as well enjoy what I can while I'm here.' As I neared the stand and got in line, the vendor's conversation caught my ear.

"…I'm sorry, did you mean you want two _pints_ of this ice cream?...No, you _actually_ meant _two gallons_? Umm, I'm not sure…" Not hearing _any_ reply to the shopkeeper as the conversation progressed, my breath hitched.

'No…no no no…absolutely not…here?'

"For that much lien? I suppose I can make an exception…"

"Why would she be _here_? Her and Roman were only at the last Vytal Festival to steal a bunch of Adamantium, which I still can't believe is a real thing here, right? Doesn't matter, I need to warn Ozpin." I turned to leave the line, but ran smack-dab into the person behind me. Looking up, I couldn't help but freeze.

"Well well well, and here I thought our disguises were good enough. Guess not, if you could spot me at a glance. Oh Neo, could you be a dear and come over?"

The bowler hat was missing, the hair was swept a different way, and his white coat was swapped for a _different white coat_, but there was no mistaking him. To the side, Neo in her future black-and-white disguise appeared, carrying two large gallon tubs of Atlesian ice cream. At seeing my surprised and fearful look, green eyes blinked into pink and brown, as Neo licked her lips in anticipation.

"Why don't we all take a walk, huh kid? After all, I'd hate to _cause a scene_, if you know what I mean." Roman Torchwick smiled a dastardly straight smile.

**A/N: Yup, it's happening. Beaconpoint Kouzai is meeting Roman and Neo for the first time, and without any of the good graces that Kouzai in Neopoint (just coined) earned from his time with them. This, this could be bad, huh.**

**Again, I apologize for the short chapter length, but the good news is that things get better from here on out…better for the readers, I mean. The characters? Hmm…**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 11/18/19**


	16. Chapter 13: Curses, Like Chickens

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Happy Monday to everyone again. It has come to my attention through a PM that I somehow passed the 100K word mark, something that completely flew over my head. So this week is me officially celebrating the longest piece of fiction I've written to date, woohoo! And, you know, the fact that some people like reading it, I hope. Now for some reviews.**

**Raidentensho: A naginata mode definitely sounds promising, but I'm not sure how it'd work with the hilts of Mirror's Edge being where the magazines are switched. Far more improbable weapon combos have been displayed in the show though, so it's not out of the realm of possibility. As for weight training, it'd certainly be nice to have that weakness of Kouzai's be covered, but I think the potential muscle imbalances would be an obstacle. Maybe if there's uniform pressure, like some sort of increased gravity device like from DBZ, that'd work.**

**Gizmo Gear: You can't spend nearly four years with a person and not pick up at least some of their habits. In this case, it happens to be not putting up with Ozpin's shenanigans, something that Beaconpoint Kouzai is all too happy to emulate.**

**AlexFalTon: Well, I'm happy to deliver surprises with my writing, so long as they're believable. Even for a consummate badass like Sun, there's no way he'd be able to survive Argus' cold climate for years without a wardrobe change. Aura is handy, but likely not that handy.**

**Oblivious IJ: I can see where the similarities between Chronometry and the Sharingan overlap, but I've written in some differences as well. For one, Kouzai doesn't have the ability to mimic body movements after seeing them, considering that's the entire point of Velvet's Mimicry semblance. He also doesn't really have the same predictive ability that Sharingan users are portrayed to have in seeing patterns of movement; Chronometry is more of having the time to react to enemies already committing to an attack. Those kinds of differences are what keep Chronometry reasonable in my opinion, and hopefully don't step on the toes of the semblances of canon characters. Thank you for making the comparison though, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.**

**The Inquisitor: I gotta tell you, while complete planetary destruction would certainly solve the Grimm problem, along with a lot of other ones, I believe that Kouzai's rather fond of living. Not to mention the fact that he's likely out of 1ups, so wiping out Remnant wouldn't end well for him. I'll keep it in my back pocket though.**

**Chapter 13: Curses, Like Chickens**

**Chapter Date: 11/18/19**

"Hah…hah…hah…"

"Are you alright, Kouzai? Did you seek to expend some excess energy during your walk?"

"Aww, man! If you wanted a workout, you should've asked me! We could've sparred, but noooo, now it's just me feeling antsy!"

"Nora, a spar between the two of you within Shion would've likely levelled a building. And you normally feel antsy."

"…And?..."

I managed to catch my breath during their banter, but my thoughts and heart rate were still racing. 'Qrow, here? Raven, _here_? _Qrow and Raven, HERE_?!' Something was severely off, or I was missing some piece of the puzzle here. Having peeked into the tavern, I'd seen Raven Branwen for the first time in two years, talking to Qrow, who he and I had the mutual misfortune of meeting each other. '_Please_ tell me she didn't notice me before she portaled out.'

The important thing though was that she _had_ left, meaning she was no longer here, and hopefully not thinking of attacking Shion with her tribe anytime soon, if ever. So we might have avoided death by bandit attack, again. Qrow, though…

"Did you encounter something outside? Or someone?" Ren inquired, trying to interpret my expression and posture. Knowing I was caught, I nodded.

"Yeaaaahh, so turns out I bumped into a huntsman, from Beacon of all places." I thought fast as to how to spin this, and what I was spinning towards.

"OOH, we have to meet him! And get his autograph! And FIGHT him! Not necessarily in that order." Nora seemed ready to march out of the room, Magnhild in hand. Before semblance-powered sparring catastrophe struck the town, I grabbed Nora's shoulders and dug my heels in.

"Not so fast. It's nighttime right now, and who knows if he's working, so we shouldn't disturb him. Plus, he appeared to be a bit…out of sorts when I encountered him, due to distractions of the alcoholic variety."

"How…would he be working if he is heavily intoxicated?" Ren asked the obvious question.

"Considering it's apparently his default state-I mean, not every mission needs to be combat-oriented," I corrected. "He could be gathering information that required him blending in with the townsfolk."

Ren seemed doubtful, and to be honest I kind of was too, if Volume 6 was any indication of Qrow's efficiency when on a bender. Nora, though…

"So he's a fighter by day, and a spy by night. A man's man, smooth with the ladies…" Nora faked a gruff voice and grim face, before perking back up. "That settles it! We've _gotta_ meet him tomorrow!"

I sighed, resigning myself to the search of a determined Nora. 'At least it isn't as bad as her idea to search for unicorn Grimm." Even Ren seemed thoughtful.

"Getting input on Beacon Academy from an accomplished huntsman would certainly be useful," Ren considered. "I'm just unsure of how difficult it will be to find him."

"That could be tough," I conceded. "If he's on assignment, he'll probably have to move fast, so tracking him down could take us a while even if he's still in Shion…"

… … …

"…Or he could be _very easy_ to find," I sighed, a hand on my face. Somewhere, I must've been channeling Ruby's spirit, be it from the past, present or future.

"Are we…sure, that this is the individual in question? I believe your initial estimate on his level of intoxication was inexact." Ren stared skeptically towards the ground. Next to him, Nora bounced up and down on her feet.

"Oh, he's totally blasted. But that sword on his back's definitely for a Huntsman, or at least a good fighter. And look at him!" Another glance down at the slumped figure, no less than half a dozen bottles of what looked to be whiskey sloppily placed on and around him. "His tolerance is definitely superhuman."

"But perhaps not the kind we're looking for," I pointed out, before bending down. Having predicted we might come across a scene like this, I'd come prepared. "You both might wanna stand back…and get ready to catch me…"

Gripping the full bucket with one hand, I grasped Mirror's Edge with the other, and took a deep breath…before upending over a gallon of cold water on Qrow.

Even using Chronometry and having been prepared, I almost didn't get Mirror's Edge up in time before Harbinger crashed into the flat of the blade. The force behind the slash still had me forcibly backpedaling a few steps, before regaining my footing and digging Mirror's Edge into the ground in a move reminiscent of the sopping wet man across from me.

"The hell was that for, punk?" Qrow growled as he advanced on me, Harbinger still in his hand, albeit in its half-blade form. "Haven't you ever heard of letting a man get his shut-eye?"

'Don't freak out, Don't freak out, don't freak out.' I tossed the bucket behind me as I heard Ren deftly catch it, my eyes still focused on Qrow. "Not when it means letting a drunk three sheets to the wind lay whiskey-soaked in front of a tavern in the middle of town. The owner asked us to get you up."

"Pff, nice try," Qrow slurred. "The barkeep and I have an understanding. It was just easier to sleep off the night outside than trying to get upstairs."

"While I'm not sure if you're lying or not, and that's sad in of itself, the fact of the matter is you're kind of making Huntsmen in general look like idiots. And you're kind of in broad daylight in the middle of a village." My bluntness had Qrow looking sideways for a moment.

"…Still a stupid move to try and wake a Huntsmen like that, kid," Qrow muttered. "If you'd been a civilian, I could've accidentally cut your head off, or something similar."

"Eh, I'll assume that most civilians know better than to try and wake what looks like a huntsman with what definitely looks like a bad hangover." Qrow winced, the headache appearing to throb at my prompting. "Plus, you're a trained huntsman; you've got better instincts than that. I saw that you noted my weapon in front of me before lashing out with yours."

Qrow nodded slowly, before holstering Harbinger. "Good eyes kid. Speaking of, I noticed you…wait, you're that kid I bumped into last night!"

I did a small bow ironically reminiscent of Qrow during his fight with Winter in Volume 3. "Pleasure to see you again, despite nearly coming to blows with me twice now. And what was that about my eyes?"

Qrow squinted as I gazed up at him, and I realized he was checking to see if my eyes were silver. Indulging him, I activated Chronometry and felt the Aura pass over my irises. "Did you mean this?"

"…Guess you're not naturally silver-eyed then. Figured it was a long shot anyways; I've only met a couple other people with real silver eyes in my time," Qrow muttered as I cut the flow of Aura.

"Sorry, it's my semblance, not my real eye color. Wait, there are actually people with real silver irises?" I asked for consistency's sake, even though I knew exactly which two silver-eyes Qrow knew.

"Yup, rare as they are, they're most definitely real. Heh, put some red tint to your hair and use that semblance of yours, and you'd be pretty similar to someone I know with silver eyes." Qrow's smile soured, and he gazed off, before pulling his flask out and taking a gulp as Nora, Ren and I eyed each other.

"Umm, so what's a huntsman doing in a small town like this, especially while he's…resting," I finished lamely as Qrow directed a baleful eye at me from behind his flask.

"The kinda stuff that pipsqueaks like you three don't needa worry about. Reeeaaal classified stuff…" Qrow trailed off, before glancing sideways back at us and smirking. "Thing is, I'm not one of those stick in the mud types, and my assignment's just about done. So I'm just killing time 'round these parts before my boss hands off another mission. Y'know, killing Grimm, relaxing, that sorta thing."

"Riiiiiiiigggggghhhht…" Nora dragged out, even her being skeptical of Qrow's 'relaxation' before perking up. "So were you the reason why there weren't a lot of Grimm around the area while we were travelling here?"

Qrow smirked crookedly before ruffling Nora's hair. "Course I am, but that's just part of it. During the Vytal Festival, Grimm concentration outside populated areas tends to drop 'cause of all the happy feelings going 'round." Qrow realized he was still ruffling Nora's hair and hastily withdrew, coughing into his fist. "Makes things easier for Huntsmen operating outside the main cities, though the good ones'll still be doing their patrols as normal."

Qrow straightened and cracked his back, before waving as he started making his way towards the village outskirts. He got about ten feet before stopping and putting a hand to his chin in thought. After a moment, he turned his head back to look at us. "How's the idea of seeing a pro Huntsmen in action sound? I've still got my patrols today, and you three don't seem half bad, if the way you were able to block my strike was any indication."

"WE'RE IN!" Nora shouted, and Ren and I glanced at each other before shrugging.

"I suppose it would be beneficial to observe how a true Huntsmen performs in the field," Ren mused.

"That's the spirit. Now, who am I hauling along for the day?"

"Nora." I pointed to the energetic hammer-wielder. "Ren." Gestured over to our tranquil companion before pointing at myself. "Kouzai."

"Pleasure. Name's Qrow, and you don't needa last name 'cause none of you are calling me Sir or Mister. Now let's move, we've got ground to cover and drinks to come back to…'least, I do."

… … …

"Hey, Short, hyper and murderous! Smaller swings, more compact! And weave some kicks in or something, you've got legs! And Mr. Monk, use that semblance of yours in shorter bursts! You don't needa hide from the Grimm, just gotta disrupt them and get a good hit in."

'Well, if nothing else, I'm no longer doubting his expertise as a teacher.' I swayed and bisected a Beowolf as I watched Qrow alternate barking orders from the tree he was leaning against and taking generous swigs from his flask. '…his professional manner could use a touch-up though…'

We finished carving through a pack of Beowolves before turning to Qrow, who'd lazily dodged a Beowolf pouncing at him before picking up Harbinger and beheading the Grimm with one hand, the other still in the middle of upending the flask's contents into his mouth. Incredulous stares followed the silence as Qrow finished. "…hmm? We done already? Nice work."

"Yes, it was a valiant team effort, however could we have succeeded without you?" I drawled sarcastically. "And I noticed you never got around to me during your mid-fight critiques."

Qrow snorted. "Cute with the attitude. I 'never got around' to you 'cause you're the weakest out of you three. Your raw strength and speed are less than Pinkie here, and your hand-to-hand and Aura control are weaker than the Silent One. Really, your semblance is the only thing saving you from being a full-on jack-of-all-trades, and even that's limited by your Aura."

I bristled at the fair, but blunt assessment. "My style is to plan accordingly to capitalize on the opponent's weaknesses."

Qrow lost the smirk, though he was still plastered. "That kinda think-and-reach approach only works so long as you've got information on your enemy and time to plan. Without both of those, you're a kid with a bunch of half-baked strategies, instead of a competent fighter who's mastered a few."

'Well, Chronometry _always_ gives me time to plan. As for information on my opponents…' I couldn't very well tell Qrow of the veritable database I'd compiled in my journals on characters of RWBY, so I took the dig at face value.

"Well, overall, you three weren't awful. Depending on the quality of the fodder, you all might be a shoo-in at the practical qualifications next year, assuming you're not students at a primary combat school like Sanctum." Qrow's smirk returned as we all shook our heads. "Didn't think so. You all fight with a touch more dirt than the good men and women at those schools usually like imparting. It's good to know life outside the main cities still cranks out the best Huntsmen. I just regret what that usually means…c'mon, let's get back to Shion. I've got a bottle of whiskey with my name on it."

As Qrow stumbled away, Nora was cupping her chin with her eyes narrowed. "Well he certainly seems down. Wonder what has his boxers in a twist. And I swear he looks familiar. Maybe it's the hair."

"I was more focused on his eyes, though you do have a point about his hairstyle," Ren added. "Kouzai, do you have an inkling as to where we might have encountered either him or perhaps his relatives before?"

'Yeah, when his sister almost slit our throats two years ago.' I did my best to keep all sweating internal as I shook my head. "I don't think so. I feel like anyone with his type of personality is tough to come across."

"True. I suppose we can always ask Qrow about his familial relations later," Ren commented as we began making our way back to Shion.

"OOH, a mystery! Nora 'Holmes' Valkyrie is on the case!" Nora exclaimed as she roped her arms around mine and Ren's shoulders. "Watsons! Our first job is to tail the huntsman back to his lair, and then find our where the best spots for fighting Grimm are because today was PATHETIC!"

"…Yes Nora…"

… … …

"-So really, with the Grimm experience you've all picked up, sleeping in Port's class is pretty much a given. Now, where was I?"

"We had asked about the practical qualification exams for students who never attended a primary combat school," Ren answered evenly, doing a remarkable job of not smacking Qrow upside the head while both him and I eyed Nora apprehensively as _she_ eyed the drinks the waitress was passing around.

'Nora on caffeine energy drinks was bad enough.' Ren and I shuddered at the three long days that followed Nora sneaking in and chugging a six-pack of those. It was a tale of reverse-biblical proportions, where Nora ascended into a being of otherworldly energy, wreaked unspeakable havoc for three days, and proceeded to crash back to Remnant. Literally.

Now, we three accompanied Qrow inside one of the more family-friendly taverns in Shion, though the bartenders were clear on not serving minors any drinks. 'Bad for me, but really _really_ good for Nora.'

"You'll be finnnneee," Qrow slurred as he knocked back another shot of whiskey. "Oz hasn't made the exams much harder since my time, and Rae' and I passed those with our eyes closed."

"Question; who's Rae'?" Nora interjected, and Qrow stiffened as he realized he'd let that slip. 'Ah crap, thought he'd at least be able to keep that under wraps. Nora and Ren are pretty forgiving people, but they might not take too kindly to knowing exactly who Qrow's sister is…'

"A sister, and no one you needa worry bout' Carrot-top." Qrow went to ruffle Nora's hair again, but seemed to sober up for an instant and drew his hand back as if burned, something that didn't go unnoticed.

"Are you alright, Qrow?" Ren asked, glancing over at me with one hand rising. I slowly shook my head in response. 'Not yet.'

Qrow's response was to knock back another shot and glance towards the wooden ceiling. "Family troubles. Nuthin' to worry 'bout."

My eyes narrowed. 'There's only four people that could get him like this within the family, and one of them is dead. Is it just the regular spat with Raven, or did something happen to Ruby and Yang?'

Getting answers out of him might've been easier if he continued spiraling, but I wasn't that cruel. I nodded to Ren, and he slowly extended his hand and laid it on Qrow's shoulder, before activating Tranquility…and gasping.

"Ren, what's wrong?" Nora was out of her chair and by his side instantly, while I focused in on Qrow and Ren. Ren's Tranquility was certainly keeping him calm, but the gray pallor attempting to creep over Qrow's figure kept blinking off, like it was meeting resistance.

"So much…despair…it's fighting my semblance…" Ren gritted out, feeling the waves of Qrow's emotion wash over him even as he himself remained calm. "And something else…it's like…my semblance is being cancelled out by something…"

I looked over at Qrow in growing realization and dread. 'Cancelled out…_dust_, it's Qrow's Misfortune semblance! Qrow's negativity and semblance are perfectly countering Tranquility!'

There was still a loose piece of the puzzle jangling around in my head, but it wasn't falling into place.

WHOOOOOSH-WHOOOOOOOOSH

Everyone inside the tavern glanced skyward as we heard small gusts flying past in the air above, before a bone-chilling call pierced our ears.

And all of a sudden, things made sense, in the worst way possible.

"No, no no no…" I leapt up from my seat and followed Qrow's near-blurring form out the door to gaze up at the sunset-framed sky…

That had a few dozen Nevermore streaking towards Shion. 'Mierda…'

"EVERYONE STAY INSIDE AND BARRICADE YOURSELVES!" I shouted, hoping my voice would carry as I whipped out Mirror's Edge, seeing Nora and Ren doing the same. "Nora, Ren, shoot those bitches down! I'll cover you!"

"Where's Qrow?" Nora asked after firing a grenade, and amidst the sudden shrieks of Nevermore in the sky, we all reflexively looked up to see a cape-wearing scythe-wielder descending on the flocks of Grimm from above. "How'd he get up there?"

"Fight now, ask later!" I replied, shielding Nora with Mirror's Edge as a rain of Nevermore feathers rocketed towards the ground. Head on a swivel, I saw Ren perched on the inn's roof, Tranquility active as he fired Stormflower with impunity.

A number of growls had me looking towards eye-level, and I split Mirror's Edge into my longswords. "We have Beowolves incoming! Nora, I'll cover your back but you _have to_ play it safe! You're the firepower here, so we can't have you taking risks, got it?" Nora mutely nodded, and I settled for that as I turned to face the stray Beowolves coming from outside the town.

'Why couldn't Shion have _some sort_ of wall or gate? Anything to keep the Grimm out?' I muttered internally as I cleaved a Beowolf at the torso in real time. It was riskier to forgo using Chronometry, but I needed to conserve whatever resources I had, and Aura was the most precious of them. 'Okay, put the pieces together while you're working.'

The Grimm. Qrow. Misfortune. Negativity. Raven, Ruby, Yang or Summer. Shion. The Vytal festival.

'UHHHH, come on!' I growled as swayed out of reach of a Beowolf's claws. 'The pieces are all there, I just need to put them together…'

The three remaining Beowolves congregated across from me in the town square, and I put my thoughts on the backburner and prepared to activate Chronometry. Before either party could charge in, a Nevermore's body crashed down onto the Beowolves, ripping up the stonework underneath at the point of impact. Atop the fading Grimm was a thunderous Qrow.

And then it hit me.

"YOU!" I roared, striding forward and glaring at Qrow. A quick glance showed Nora, Ren and Qrow had dispatched the Nevermore, but that was a small priority at the moment. "THIS IS ALL ON YOU!"

"The hell're you talking 'bout?" Qrow growled back, and he stood his ground as I grabbed a fistful of his dress shirt and flung a hand outwards.

"How long have you been here?" I demanded, drawing a confused look from Qrow.

"A week or so, what's it matter?"

"And how many patrols have you done for the area around Shion?" I saw Nora and Ren approaching at my periphery.

"I don't know, about twenty-three. Again, what's the point of asking?"

"You're spewing negativity," I accused, and Ren's eyes widened as he caught on. Qrow, whether by obstinacy or intoxication, wasn't quite there yet. "Every time you went out on patrol, you were circling the areas around Shion like a lure for Grimm."

Nora gasped, but Qrow gripped my hand tight. "I _killed_ all the Grimm around Shion. There weren't many of them, since the Vytal Festival was happening."

"That's what you thought, but it takes more than some happy feelings to really ward off the Grimm" I hissed, and Qrow became confused again. "You didn't find many Grimm because they _weren't coming_. They were waiting, waiting for _this_."

"You're spouting some idiocy here. Grimm don't wait around and plan-"

"But they do, like the Goliaths in Vale," I shot back as Qrow froze. "All it'd take is a lure of negativity, a bunch of Grimm, and _something going very wrong_. Like your semblance."

Qrow's hand tightened to bone-breaking levels around my wrist. "How, _the hell_, do you know about my semblance?"

It was Ren who answered. "Because your semblance was interfering with mine. I was trying to use my semblance to calm your emotions inside the tavern, but something was distorting my Aura flow beyond the overwhelming depression arising from you. Your semblance does something to the natural environment."

"_Including_ semblances and the Grimm, it seems." I took the easy answer Ren provided me, as Qrow wrenched my hand off his shirt and pulled out his scroll. "What are you doing?"

"Getting reinforcements. More waves are incoming, and you three aren't enough to cover the whole village." Qrow had all the subtlety and grace of a baseball bat with nails hammered in, but his point still stood. "…Oz, it's Qrow. We have a situation, Grimm attack in Shion. Have Leo redirect some backup over."

Nora, Ren and I remained tense, glancing around the wide streets of Shion for any signs of more Grimm, before Qrow's voice caught our attention again.

"WHAT? A few hours!? Oz, you can't be serious, Shion needs reinforcements now…what do you mean, there's a situation in Mistral?...The Mistral Council?...Those dust-damned assholes! They'd keep quiet this just to keep morale up?...Damnit, fine. I've got three huntsmen-in-training here, and pray to the Brothers that's enough. Get here fast, Oz. I mean it."

Qrow viciously pocketed his scroll and turned back to us with an expression mixing frustration, anger, and _a lot_ of sadness. "Bad news, kids. There's some commotion back in Mistral, and the Council's trying to keep a lid on news getting in and out of the city. If news about a Grimm attack in the Kingdom's outskirts _or_ news about crime in the city where the Vytal Festival is break out, people across the kingdoms might lose some of those happy feelings I was talking about. And when that happens…"

"Grimm." Ren's face hardened, and hands gripped Stormflower. Beside him, Nora looked just as worried for him as she'd been in this exact same village in the show.

"Right in one," Qrow sighed. "My boss'll send backup as soon as he can discreetly, but it'll be from Mistral, meaning they'll only get here for the cleanup. The brunt of the attack'll have to be handled by us four." I drove Mirror's Edge into the dirt in frustration, and Qrow winced, looking more fatigued than I'd ever seen him, be it in the show or in person.

"Look, I'll cover the main entrance by the forest, handle most of the waves. I just need you three to cover the other sides since Shion's not exactly one for walls. Just…make sure to keep your distance from me while we're fighting. I can, uh, get a bit explosive while fighting and uh, don't wanna get any of you caught in the crossfire. If you need help, just shout an' I'll be there if I can…" Qrow trailed off as howls rang out in the now-evening sky, and he awkwardly nodded at us before turning to head towards Shion's main entrance.

"Where's he going? We need to stick together," Nora muttered, hefting Magnhild. The howls of Beowolves on multiple sides took priority.

"He's probably the type that works better alone." I wasn't covering for Qrow per se, but having Nora and Ren stick by him was a worrying thought with Qrow's current mental state affecting his semblance in such a way. "And it sucks, but we also need to handle things ourselves. There's three other entrances to Shion, and we can't cover all three as a group. Ren, take the north side. Nora, the east. I'll watch the west. We might not be staying safe, but no matter what, stay alive. If you have to give ground, fall back to the town square and we can meet up."

We all dashed off to separate sides of the village, and no sooner did I reach the edge of Shion's west side that Beowolves streaked out from the tree line. Looking left and right at the seeming ring of Grimm emerging as a pack, I counted at least twenty on my side alone. 'Yeeaaaahhh, I need Chronometry for this.' Activating my semblance, I held my longswords out as the Grimm neared Shion's buildings. 'Alright, full circle here. Time to see what I'm worth.'

Dashing forward, I ducked under one Beowolf's swipe and stabbed through its torso. Twisting around, I swept low with my other longsword and cut another Grimm's legs out from under it, stabbing it's skull as it hit the ground. Pivoting, I turned to block a slash with Mirror's Edge in greatsword form, then rotated around to cleave through another three with a full revolution. Splitting the sword apart again, I took a deep breath as the pack closed in on me.

Parry. Slash. Block. Stab.

Dodge. Parry. Hammer. Deflect. Sway. Cleave.

Parry. Parry. Parry. Slash. Parry. Block. Parry.

The number of Beowolves left swarming me dwindled, but I was giving ground back towards the town square. Keeping my escrima stance up just to parry the multitude of slashes and bites, I glanced sideways at a Beowolf and looked past into the window of a home, where parents covered a child in terror.

'Sonofa…c'mon, you can do better than this! _You have to do better than this_!' I gritted my teeth and opened up my defenses, trading glancing blows to deliver my own fatal attacks. 'Let them graze your skin to cleave their flesh.'

A whirlwind of steel, I darted around the wide streets that were my battlegrounds, feeling my muscles start to burn from the forceful Aura I was pumping into them for increased strength. But slowly, the tide of Grimm petered out, and I stabbed Mirror's Edge into the ground as I caught my breath. Walking back to the town square, I saw Nora and Ren returning from their own battles. Ren's hair hung damp against his head, and Nora was slumped forward with arms limp by her sides. Before I could call out to them, a shout echoed from the main entrance.

"THAT ALL YOU GOT! I'M RIGHT HERE!" Qrow's shouts carried down the street, as he blurred through a near-flood of Beowolves, Harbinger a windmill of twirling lethal metal.

"He's hurting, so much…" Nora whispered, and Ren nodded wordlessly. I, on the other hand…

"OI!" I yelled, Mirror's Edge crashing into a Beowolf at Qrow's back. "You need to calm down _now_, or your negativity and semblance are gonna keep bringing Grimm to Shion, and we can't keep this up."

"Nobody asked you to, I'll fix my own mess," Qrow growled, stopping for a moment as the last Beowolf faded to ash. His gaze was fixed everywhere but me though. "Just stay out of my way and-"

"Alright, that's it," I seethed, standing directly in front of him. "What happened to you to turn you into this, huh? The way you are now, you shouldn't be on active missions at all!"

"The work I do needs to be done," Qrow grunted, trying to shove his way past me. "And I'm the only one to do it."

"I don't give a damn whether that's true or not," I shot back, tensing my legs to stand my ground. "If you're trying to do work like _this_, as you are now, you're just putting others' lives at risk. You have to know that."

Qrow froze, and finally looked at me. His expression, a tortured mix of sadness, rage, and self-loathing had me freezing as well.

"I know that," he murmured. "I. know. But without the work, without…having the pipsqueaks in my life…what do I have left?"

Gears were running into overdrive. 'By pipsqueaks, he's probably not talking about Nora, Ren and I. So the only other ones Qrow would get this torn up about are…oh gods…'

"What's wrong with your family?" I blurted out, heedless of anything about myself I might be giving away. 'If something happened to Ruby or Yang…'

Qrow's gaze held mine for a long moment, seeming to search for something, something he could trust. Whatever he found had him looking away with a grunt. "Their…mother, returned after a time away. The family is whole now, in a manner of speaking…they don't need me around."

'Mother?...oh gods, oh damn…Raven…the fight….holy…_dust, this all happened because of me_…' I put a hand against Qrow to steady myself, but I sagged forward with my other hand on my knee. Breath to my lungs came in short gasps.

"Hey kid, you-" A full roar cut Qrow off, as other roars echoed in conjunction. "Are you kidding me? A nest of Manticores? The worst timing…" Qrow gently, but firmly pushed me back upright and shoved Mirror's Edge into my hands.

"Alright kid, get outta here, I'll handle these. You three watch the village in case anything else shows up. Stay sharp." Shoving me back as one of the Manticores dived, I mechanically jogged back to the town square where Nora and Ren were resting.

"Does he need our help?" Nora asked, shifting Magnhild to hammer mode, although the weapon's head laid on the ground.

"No, he wants us to watch over the town while he's fighting, in case anything else comes." I fed back the words Qrow had told me, my mind still awhirl. 'Raven…but how did…that couldn't have…'

"Alright, if he insists," Nora pouted, though with a clear note of relief. "We _have_ had a pretty thorough leg-breaking session."

"You mean Grimm-killing," Ren pointed out from his meditative position on the floor. "Luckily however, it appears that most of the Grimm packs have been handled, with the remaining Manticore pack being handled by Qrow. As Grimm typically like to group together in types, that should be all the Grimm we could face."

'Not unless you count the Sphinx,' I thought to myself. 'Wait. Beowolves, Nevermore, Manticores…there was one more type of Grimm native to Mistral…'

CRASH

We all stood with weapons drawn as a tree seemed to disappear from the canopy to the west. Nora eyed the tree line. "Anyone have eyes on what brand of ugly we're facing next?"

CRASH

Another tree fell, this one collapsing towards Shion. Ren squinted. "I can't see into the forest while it's so dark."

"Way ahead of you." I activated Chronometry, and focused on any minute movements happening by the trees. 'Nothing on the ground…nothing in the sky…noth-no wait!'

SNAP

A dark shape erupted above the canopy, soaring over the buildings as it barreled towards the town square.

'No wings…huge and bulky…sonofagrimm…'

Enormous, meaty fists struck the ground by our position, and we took wide stances to stabilize our balance. Out of the resulting smoke came one fist, then another, as the disproportionate body revealed itself. White bone plates like armor over its shoulder, ribs and torso. A skull mask with two glowing orbs of red shining within. Even larger than the one Ruby faced, it stood over ten feet in height.

"Beringel."

… … …

… … …

"Hmm…"

"Is something wrong, Raven?"

"No, just my semblance notifying me. It appears that my idiot brother is in the middle of battle. Considering he hasn't moved at all since I left, he's likely still in Shion. Terrible place to defend, no walls or gates or even a town guard."

"Will you be going to aid him?"

"No. Qrow can take care of himself. And I haven't changed nearly enough to change my rule of one. Qrow…has racked up quite a bit more than just one, considering all the times I saved his skin before and during Beacon."

"Is…that boy still with him?"

"Why yes, _Kouzai_ is still with Qrow. He also seemed quite a bit more capable than the last time we encountered one another, even if his stealth could use some work."

"…Don't you have a semblance that lets you know where-"

"Break time is over, back to training. After all, you _do_ want to have the upper hand the next time you come across Kouzai, don't you?"

"…Yes…"

"Then prepare yourself."

**A/N: Harambe has returned…**

**All jokes aside, the Grimm attack on Shion was a perfect storm of variables, both natural and those created by Kouzai's actions. Weak defenses, Kingdom politics, and Qrow's depression mixed with his semblance made for a very real look at what is still the true enemy of Remnant. You can bring down criminals, tussle with bandits, and have run-ins with terrorists, but the Grimm will always return. So here's to hoping. And three guesses as to who was speaking in the stinger, haha.**

**OMAKE**

"Roman, if I have to walk into the headquarters of one of your 'friends' and be held at gunpoint _one more time_, we're gonna have one hell of a talk." I fell silent as more firearms pointed in our direction. On his part, my words seemed to bounce harmlessly off Roman as he slowly spread his arms wide, mindful of the dozen or so guns pointed at him.

"Lil' Miss! Good to see you again! What's it been, like, seven years or so? You look just as stunning as ever! Is it the tea? It is, isn't it?" Roman's insincerity was directly correlated to the number of teeth he'd flash while smiling, and nearly every single one of those suckers was on display at the moment. Across the table, Lil' Miss Malachite had all but her narrowed eyes hidden behind her fan.

A long moment of silence. Two. Three, four…

"Hah…it's been eight. You'd have known that if you were a better criminal mastermind." Lil' Miss rolled her eyes, snapped her fan shut, and waved the dozens of guns off Roman, Neo and I. Neo literally had no reaction other than to continue eating her ice cream from that Atlesian ice cream stand from topside; not that she'd reacted to the guns even being pointed at her in the first place. 'Then again, is she even really there?'

I didn't want to risk breaking any illusion that Neo might've set up with Overactive Imagination, and instead focused on the conversation between Roman and Lil' Miss Malachite.

"Hey, I'll have you know I'm an _excellent_ criminal mastermind, thank you very much! I'm wanted in all four kingdoms, and I've got Vale's underworld mostly under my thumb at this point."

"A _good mastermind_ wouldn't be known about, let alone wanted 'cross the kingdoms. And you could've had _all_ of Vale by now if you'd hired some more men into your crew."

"Ehh, you know me, what's the use of power if others don't know you've got it? And I like to see to matters personally, hence why I've taken this little trip across the pond."

"Hmph, well, if you'd rather talk business right away…lemme just handle this first," Lil' Miss trailed off before turning to me. "Sooo, this' the one new protégé that you've picked up. The one that I've been hearing about."

"Yup, this one here comes complete with his own depressing backstory, near-sociopathic work ethic, and enough wit and tenacity to make even me balk at times," Roman cheerfully exclaimed as I directed some Neo-trademarked silent murder at him.

"Oh I've been hearin' _plenty_ about this one," Lil' Miss purred, and I shivered as her smirk promised amusement while her eyes promised pain, before abruptly returning to Roman. "Now, I'll preface this by sayin' this ain't gonna be nearly as easy as Vacuo was. Besides havin' poor security in general, this time the Vytal Festival's got extra security, somethin' easily turned towards any enterprising, Remnant-renowned thief."

"Heard it all before, Lil' Miss," Roman breezed as he leaned on Melodic Cudgel. "So long as there's a good score to be had, you can count us in."

"Good," Lil' Miss purred. "After all, I'm sure the Vytal Festival crowds have been waitin' for the main attraction of Roman Torchwick stealing some priceless, national resource. We wouldn' wanna deprive the good people of their spectacle entertainmen' now would we?"

"If by 'spectacle entertainment' you mean 'fleeing for our lives with a kingdom's worth of police and Huntsmen chasing us, then sure," I grumbled to a giggling Neo. "This Mithril better be worth it."

**A/N: Well, look at that. That's the first time I've managed to make events across all three viewpoints match up. Ah, the difficulties of writing a Vale-centric, a Mistral-centric and Remnant-wide chain of events. Ah, who am I kidding, I love planning this stuff.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 11/25/19**


	17. Chapter 14: Architect of His Destiny

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Hello all. I have come to the realization thanks to a criticism-loaded PM that the last chapter was not my best writing. Less the direction of certain characters and their actions, and more the quality of the writing. A lot of work piling up before Thanksgiving break, but I've done my best to stay ahead of the curve. **

**Before I get to the reviews, I'll handle the comments and questions on Raven and Qrow. On Raven's side, Chapter 8 revealed Raven went to Patch, and Chapter 12 showed that she has some sort of interaction now with Taiyang, Ruby and Yang. She hasn't given up the tribe, but has taken measures to make things less murder-hobo-like. Rest assured, things aren't exactly copacetic between all parties though. As for Qrow, that's a slightly more comprehensible basket case of neuroses. Dealt terrible hands all his life thanks to his semblance, the only good things that have stuck around in this man's life are the good he's doing by working for Ozpin, and the Rose-Xiao Longs. My understanding of Qrow is that he's deathly afraid of losing Ruby and Yang, and even moreso of losing them because of his semblance, hence why he was away so often even while being a teach at Signal somehow. It's in the way he hangs back from RNJR while they're traveling to Haven, why he fought Tyrian alone and a ways away from the kids, and why the man even sleeps alone after meeting up with RNJR without even a sleeping bag or campfire. So to see his blood relative swallow her pride and make a return, conditional as it is, fills a hole in their family life that Raven herself and Summer left. Sure, he helped out after Summer's death and became the 'cool uncle', but that's not **_**needed**_** in a family, or at least that's what he's telling himself. With the benefits that his presence can provide in their lives shrinking and the ever-looming specter of his semblance remaining, it's hard to justify sticking around in their lives when it's just a matter of time before they get hurt, likely because of him. So even if it hurts, he'd rather see them safe than unnecessarily endanger them.**

**Whew, ok, that was a lot. Now for the other comments and questions in the reviews.**

**AlexFalTon: I also agree that the man needs to find someone. However, considering that the man is a self-proclaimed ladies' man, Qrow has had some rather lackluster interactions with all available prospects since his introduction into the show. As for Raven, her skillset is definitely extensive, but that what gave her the confidence that she could remain out of Salem and Ozpin's hands, until she couldn't.**

**Oblivious IJ: Good callback to Qrow's theme song. I find RT's usage of music during the episodes has some really obvious tones and insights into the characters' mentalities.**

**SkullWolfSteam: Good to hear from you again, and thanks for the review. Hopefully the kinds of shockers I've got aren't the undeserved ones.**

**Resurrection99: Well, the variables leading up to a Qrow-gets-injured special are certainly lining up; Qrow, a group of pipsqueaks, dire combat situation in Anima, prominent danger of getting stabbed by stingers.**

**Raidentensho: The layers that Kouzai keeps hidden from various parties certainly fits the tone of shades of gray. As for which legend he alludes to, gotta be honest, a person from Earth that ends up in Remnant shouldn't have a corresponding legend, but it's certainly an interesting idea, and one that Kouzai might draw inspiration from for weapons or such. As for dust clips, well…**

**Captaindrake123: 'Well' is a relative term. As for Raven and Qrow, all I'll add to that is that the interpersonal relationship between two of the most complicated and unstable characters in RWBY, twins at that, is criminally underrepresented for how much depth is likely there.**

**PyromaniacRabbit: Oh trust me, the butterfly is flapping its wings plenty at this point, and storms will definitely follow. As for Raven, not everything is kosher about what she's done, and that has various connotations. **

**Chapter 14: Architect of His Destiny**

**Chapter Date: 11/25/19**

"Ren, we need some Tranquility, _now_," I hissed, as the Beringel looked directly at me. Immediately dropping to his knees, Ren slammed his palms to the ground and concentrated, and I felt a wave of calm wash over me as I turned to see Nora and Ren himself in similar states. Nora and I quickly regrouped with Ren and let him use his semblance with direct contact to lessen the Aura usage necessary. Meanwhile, the Beringel began sniffing around for the presences that'd been there but moments before.

"I've said this before and I'll say it again; Ren, your semblance has the potential to be bullshit," I whispered before clearing my throat. "QROW! A LITTLE HELP HERE!"

I was not above asking for help when I thought it was required, and by the gods, it was. Surrounded by about a dozen Manticores though, Qrow did not look to be in a position to give it.

"What're you-a Beringel? Seriously semblance, _come on_! Kid, hold out for five minutes! I gotta-rrrrgh-take care of these!"

'Sure, let's just hold off King Kong for five minutes.' I turned back to look at Nora and Ren's tired, fearful faces. 'Yeah, that's the general consensus, isn't it?'

CRASH

We whirled around to see the Beringel landing next to one of the buildings in the square, fist cocked back and ready to bring the wall down. 'No time at all.'

"Spread out, keep circling, and _do not_ get hit!" I shouted, as we sprang apart. Ren went left, Nora went right, and I did what I did best.

"HEY! CURIOUS GEORGE! OVER HERE!" A shot from Mirror's Edge caught its attention, and the obvious fear I was likely exuding kept its eyes on me. Chronometry already active, I watched it leap off the ground and rocket towards me. 'Aww, grimmshit.'

Leaping back, I avoided the impact of two large feet hitting the ground, raising Mirror's Edge to block a fist the size of an endtable. Even with both arms bracing the blade, Mirror's Edge slammed into my chest and I went flying back.

"_Dust_, this thing hits hard!" I shouted, righting my posture to land on my feet. The Beringel wasn't letting it's prey get away though, and exploded off the ground with another fist extended in a superman punch. Twisting around, I used the momentum to bring Mirror's Edge in a full greatsword slash, firing the weapon to increase its rotational force. "HEIGH-HO, AWAY YOU GO DAMNIT!"

Both our strikes met, and my arms creaked as nearly a ton in malice and hatred threatened to warp my weapon. Weylin's craftsmanship held up though, and both Mirror's Edge and the Beringel's fist were forced back from the impact…only for the Grimm's other arm to come swinging for my head. I fired Mirror's Edge rapidly to deter the Beringel and accelerate back, but I was still on a very painful collision course.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM

Near-simultaneous explosions of pink staggered the Beringel and enveloped it in a cloud of pink smoke, and a near-imperceptible hand grabbed my arm and yanked me to the side.

"How did your 'probing' go?" Ren questioned dryly, and I desperately tried to clear the cottonmouth that came with nearly eating a Beringel's fist three times now.

"It's going great," I shot back as Nora regrouped with us. "It's faster than me, stronger than Nora, and tougher than all three of us put together. Not to mention fiercely agile."

Honestly, it reminded me of my first fight with a Grimm, if it could be called a fight. Although not nearly as outmatched as I was back then, I'd not been so outclassed by a singular Grimm in a long time.

"We can't stay hidden with Ren's semblance for long, or the Beringel will start knocking down the villagers' homes!" Nora exclaimed, and we watched the Grimm wave its tree-trunk-sized arms through the smoke and clear the mess away.

"We can't _all_ hide with Ren's semblance, but most of us can," I muttered, turning to Nora and Ren. "You two stay hidden, and I'll act as the distraction to-don't give me those looks, listen!-to draw his attention. You two use that to sneak up and land some free damage on him. If you can take out his eyes, even better."

"Nothing is free," Ren replied. "We will only be able to capitalize on his obliviousness so long as he is attacking you."

"Yeah, and I'm the only one quick enough to keep him from landing a solid hit, along with a semblance to help that. Now MOVE." I dashed away without hearing Ren or Nora's reply, wincing at my harsh tone. "They can yell at me later. I've got an appointment with one hell of a physical trainer."

Another shot with Mirror's Edge drew the Beringel's attention, and it lunged forward as I separated the greatsword into longswords. Like a car slamming into a bike, the Grimm's charge carried me along with it for a moment, before I flew back from the momentum. Landing on my feet, I immediately launched a dizzying array of slashes.

Deflect. Parry. Block. Parry. Deflect. Block. Block. Block. Block.

Punching faster than I could make full slashes, I resorted to bringing my longswords up to deflect and block the blows. My shoulders screamed with each jolt, but I clenched my teeth. "ANY DAY NOW!"

CRACK

Magnhild swung sideways, and the Beringel flew into Shion's fountain, the stone structure collapsing on top of it. I turned to Nora. "I didn't even…see you…there…" The reason for Nora's sudden appearance was latched onto her back in some version of a piggyback ride.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…My Aura is limited from the previous fights, and indirect exposure with my semblance is taxing. We needed a way for Nora to remain mobile while still being shielded with my semblance, so…" Ren looked determinedly at the ruined fountain, ignoring the flare of red across his cheeks.

"Well I'm not complaining, you're light as a feather, I can do this all day, whew is it hot right now!" Nora exclaimed, face nearly as red as her hair. Thankfully for them, and unfortunately for me, neither of them could see the other's face from their position, or were pointedly trying not to.

My hand wiped my face vigorously. "Y'know what, fine. Just keep doing it as long as you can, and try to hit one of the unarmored spots if possible."

Movement caught my eye, and I pushed Ren and Nora back while leaning back, only to see a gray brick whiz past where my head was. Spotting more flying towards me, I instinctively reformed and raised Mirror's Edge as cover as the flying stonework rattled against my weapon. 'Damnit, forgot about Volume 4! No Grimm around to throw, but plenty of bricks!'

CLANG

CLANG

CLANG CLANG

With the ruined fountain at his feet, the Beringel had a considerable supply of ammo, so I dashed forward behind Mirror's Edge to force him away from his projectiles. As soon as I got into swinging range though, a straight punch slammed into Mirror's Edge and knocked me back. Using Burst on my legs, I pushed off the ground and rocketed back forward to slash downward.

Only to slice through air…

WHAM

Air left my lungs momentarily as I staggered sideways, my right side throbbing as another brick dropped to the ground. To my right, the Beringel was already winding up for another throw, and I hissed as Mirror's Edge came back up just in time. 'Of course it's smart enough to hand onto the bricks.'

Standing between the Beringel and the ruined fountain, I saw a blur of muted pink and green rushing in from the side and grinned. 'They better make this one hurt.'

Bulldozing forward, I clenched my teeth as the Beringel threw the last of its bricks into Mirror's Edge. Seeing his hands empty, I split Mirror's Edge apart and dove in with a slash. 'C'mon, block this!'

Fortunately, the Beringel blocked both slashes by catching Mirror's Edge with his hands, occupying his arms. Unfortunately, that meant it had my weapon locked up too.

I lurched forward as the Grimm pulled back and released one of my longswords. Seeing it rear back, I got ready to block again, but…

'Take a hit to land a hit.' I stabbed Mirror's Edge into the Beringel's wrist as I came into range. The Grimm's momentum too powerful to stop, my blade nonetheless tore a gash up its arm up to its shoulder as the fist struck unimpeded.

CRACK

BOOM

CRACK

"GAAAGH!" Uneven cobblestone greeted my back and Aura, and I wheezed for air as I rolled forward with my one longsword at the ready. 'It hits like a literal truck…good thing those cracks weren't me though…"

The Beringel slid sideways and sank down to its hands and knees, its right leg a crumpled mess of bone and muscle, its left hip caved in and unstable. 'Two full-power swings from Magnhild…if this thing didn't nearly break my ribs, I'd feel sorry for…wait…'

Slowly, the Beringel rose to a stunted standing position, twisting to face a slowly-coloring Ren leaning heavily on Nora.

'Ren's semblance! Damnit!' "NORA, GET OUT OF THERE!" I rapidly fired off shots from my one longsword and swiped the other off the ground as I streaked towards the Grimm. Far too slowly, I watched the Beringel rear back with its uninjured arm, just as Nora tossed Ren up onto a building's rooftop.

The fist slammed forward into the shaft of Magnhild, and the metal hammer groaned in protest as Nora was forced back a few feet. The Valkyrie turned to me with worried eyes. "Ren's Aura is too low from the Nevermore and Beowolves!"

'That means no more Tranquility surprise attacks, shit. Okay, mobility decreased, element of surprised lost in turn…' I reached behind me for Corona and whipped it forward. "NORA! Can you match the Beringel with High Voltage?"

Nora and even the Grimm seemed to freeze for a moment, Magnhild lowering as Nora's eyes widened. "You want me to wrestle with a Beringel?" I slowly nodded.

"I LOVE IT!"

"Grrr?"

"GET READY THEN! AND SORRY!" I slid the magazine into Corona and fired off every bullet, each round impacting against Nora and releasing painful levels of Lightning Dust.

"RRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!" Electricity crackled across Nora's skin as here nervous system became visible for a moment beneath her skin. Muscles tensed, and I waited for the scene that I'd only seen one time at this level. Magnhild went up again, and a Valkyrie gave a slow, feral smile.

I held both longswords up. "Go for his right arm. And make it hurt."

Both Nora and I rocketed towards the Beringel, who roared in response. Having already fought me, the Grimm turned to the yet-unknown threat in its midst, punching with its still-healthy right arm.

"BATTER UP!" Nora yelled, swinging an electrified Magnhild to meet the punch. A shockwave exploded from the impact, and I watched in literal slow motion as the Grimm's arm cracked and was repelled, the Beringel flexing its twisted fingers in some form of pain or distress. I gave the creature no quarter, rushing in toward its injured left side. One blade came up to block the brunt of its punch, and the other scored tore open the inside of its arm this time as I flew back again.

"I'VE-HAD-MY-FILL-OF BROKEN LEGS-TODAY, BUT NOW I'M IN THE MOOD FOR A BROKEN ARM!" Nora roared to match the Beringel, the pink-clad bruiser a whirlwind of electrified swings. The odd word punctuating impacts on its arm, the Grimm could do little in the face of the onslaught, and even less as I sieged its left arm from the opposite side. Further and further the Beringel's arm warped, until it slowly fell to its side out of an inability to move the limb. The Grimm was far from idle though, as it shoved me back and twisted on its debilitated lower body to throw a hook towards Nora.

Gritting my teeth, I used Burst to zip in front of the fist's path, burying Mirror's Edge into the ground to stop the punch. "Nora! Knock that arm off _now_!"

"You got it!" Once, twice, three times around Nora spun, Magnhild on a crash course for the Beringel. "This one's going out of the PARK!"

CRRRAAAAACK

THUD

Grimm muscle and sinew tore, and the tree-trunk-sized limb hit the ground and started scattering into ash. Staggering back, Magnhild hit the ground as Nora sank down. "Hah…hah…sorry Boss, I'm running on empty now…"

'_Dustdamnit_! I knew High Voltage ate up Nora's Aura like nothing else, but I hoped she could've gotten the other arm…' I stood in front of Nora as she leapt up to the same building as where she'd thrown Ren, and kept my eyes on the Beringel as we both circled the battle-torn square.

Crippled right leg. Shattered left hip. Viciously-removed right arm. Lacerated left arm.

I didn't enjoy my odds, considering I was running low on Aura myself. As it stood, I only had one card left to play, and I hadn't tested it out yet. 'If there was ever a time though…'

Taking a deep breath, I focused my Aura and channeled it, both to Chronometry, and to my body using a factor of Burst. 'This is going to wreck my body afterwards, but I just need to hold out…' I didn't dare take my eyes off the Beringel to appraise Qrow's situation, instead rocketing forward, discovering something in the course of my 'experiment'.

'I…I can move _normally_…' My limbs moved in normal time to the perception of Chronometry, and I ducked away from the Beringel's unbalanced punch and carved out another chunk of its arm. My legs began burning and my arms twinged while holding Mirror's Edge. 'Crap, less time than-ggghhh-than I thought…gotta hold on…'

Splitting Mirror's Edge apart to mitigate the muscle burn, I gritted my teeth as I faced the Grimm down. Death by a thousand cuts was coming for both of us, literal in the Beringel's case, and from muscle overuse in mine.

Downwards Slash. Calves searing.

Stab. Thighs shaking.

Upwards Slash. Lungs burning.

Cleave. Shoulders aching.

Tear. Arms spasming.

Rend. Fingers jerking.

I was locked in an eternity of battle, my body slowing down as the Beringel's movements dulled from torn muscles and shattered bones.

'Never stop moving…never stop fighting…'

I'd run out of Aura to use Burst already, and my attacks were even slower and weaker than before its application. My eyes felt like they were scorching my skull, but I slammed all the Aura I had left into them. With the Aura I had left, one errant punch would've shattered my Aura shield anyways.

'Only one of us…walks away…'

This is where the Grimm were truly fearsome. They would never tire. They would never stop. They were stronger, faster, tougher than each of us individually. Alone, no one stood a chance against them.

The Beringel roared as its smoking and distorted arm finally slammed into Mirror's Edge and knocked me to the edge of the village square. Looking up the side of the building, I smiled. Stumbling to my feet, I snarled and let out a roar of my own.

"NORA! LOCK UP ITS ARM! REN! GET THE EYES!" Good thing I wasn't alone.

Two figures of pink and green leapt from the rooftop above my head, pink Auras flashing. A Lightning Dust crystal glinted in Nora's hand as she shattered it, electricity coursing along her body.

"AAAAAAAHHHH!...Make it hurt, Kouzai…" Nora growled as she landed on top of the Beringel. Reaching around, she gripped the Grimm's fingers and mercilessly cracked them, forcefully bending the ruined limb behind the Beringel's body and driving it to its knees.

From above, Ren brandished Stormflower and scythed down into both of the Grimm's eyes, wrenching the Beringel's head down as it roared at the ground. Ren looked up towards the rooftop and nodded.

Heaving at having climbed the three stories, I grimaced as my entire body throbbed, before smiling down. "Nora! I'm taking a page from your book!" Using Burst one last time, I jumped high into the air and raised Mirror's Edge skyward, before firing to begin spinning downwards. My eyes burned as I tracked my descent, still firing to accelerate my momentum.

Once…'Let this…'

Twice…'Be a start…'

SSSSSSSSSSSCCCKKKK

THUD

'To fixing my mistakes…'

The Beringel's head dropped onto the ground, its body following it a second later. A cloud of Grimm ash rose up towards Remnant's broken moon, and all three of us toppled to the ground, Mirror's Edge stabbed into the dirt as I fell to my knees.

Eyes searing, my head spiked in pain behind my eyelids. "GGGAAAAAAHH!"

I slumped headfirst into Mirror's Edge as my vision darkened.

"Kouzai!"

"Kouzai! We need medical aid!"

'At least…they're safe…'

… … …

I wasn't sure when I awoke. Or if I'd ever been asleep. Whether this was real or a delusion.

I was standing on a circular platform of what appeared to be marble. Beyond the platform, there was only darkness.

I wasn't sure if the surface I was on was marble, but its gradient certainly appeared to look like it. Speckled white slid over to swirling silver where I stood, before transitioning over to a charcoal gray with hints of white, and then cycling back to white.

More important than that though, were the two other objects on the platform within my vision.

Doors. Both simple, elegant, white double doors of solid wood or metal. Emblazoned upon each were two black symbols. Walking up to one by the section of charcoal, I saw a jack-o-lantern and below that, a triple swirl enclosed within a circle. Walking over to the other door revealed a gear and a crown.

Those symbols were familiar, but from where…

Looking around the platform, behind where I'd started walking was a third door. Even from this distance, I could already recognize the two symbols upon that door.

The electrified hammer. The blooming lotus.

Nora and Ren.

Slowly, I walked towards the center of the platform, rotating until the point where all three doors seemed to be equidistant from one another. Where the shades of gray seemed to meet.

I looked towards the left door.

The gear.

Ozpin.

The crown.

Goodwitch.

The right door.

The jack-o-lantern.

Torchwick.

The tomoe.

Neo.

Perhaps a step towards one of the doors. But which?

_Faster than anticipated. An oversight…_

I whirled around, but the platform was still empty save for the three doors.

_The first time you're all so close together, but it's still early. Too early for this. Give it a bit more time…_

White filled the blankness beyond the platform, quickly encroaching and then engulfing the doors before reaching and filling my vision.

_I wonder…_

… … …

"-when he's gonna wake up? It's been days…"

"The doctor have said his vitals are all stable, and save for some unusual brain activity he appears to be making an unimpeded recovery."

I tried opening my eyes, but there was something in the way. I reached up towards my face and felt bandages over my eyes.

"Kouzai! You're awake!" A compact and densely muscled body landed atop mine, and I thanked the gods I didn't have broken ribs. 'A first time for everything…'

"What happened?" I groaned, beginning to unwrap the bandages around my eyes. "And why are these bandages here?"

"The doctors said that your eyes appeared to have strained themselves from the fight with the Beringel," Ren replied. "They determined that there miiigghhht bbeee ssssooommee uunnussuuaaall eeeffffeecctts…Kooouuuzzzaaaiii?"

I stared in confusion at Nora and Ren, now moving slow as molasses. Bringing my hand up to my face, I was moving just as slow. 'But I'm not using any Aura right now for Chronometry, so why…' I scrunched my eyes shut and covered them with my hands.

"Kouzai? Are you alright?"

I froze, then opened my eyes again, once again seeing the world in slow motion before shutting them.

"Ren, what color are my eyes?" I held my breath.

"…They're silver. Is something wrong?" I hissed out shakily, daring myself not to believe.

"I uhhh, I think…do we have our bags nearby? I could use my sunglasses. And either of yours if you have them as well." I tried _very hard_ not to hyperventilate as there was some rummaging, before three pairs of sunglasses were pressed into my hands. Unceremoniously jamming them onto my face, one on top of the other, I made sure they were fixed in place before opening my eyes.

Near-complete blackness. From the varying positions of the three pairs of sunglasses I was wearing, only hints of light made it through, letting me see the barest forms of two bodies by my bed. I could barely tell which was Nora and which was Ren. Moving my hand in front of my face confirmed it.

"I…think my semblance has changed…it seems…constant now…" I spoke slowly, and not only due to my current perception. "It…seems to vary its level of effect, based on how much light my eyes are getting…"

"Are you telling me, Chronometry is always active now? And only stops when your eyes are closed?" Nora's tone was shocked, disbelieving, and I couldn't blame her. There was only one character, maybe two that I knew that had similarly working semblances.

A knock came from the door, and the door slowly opened.

"Oh, _it's you_." Nora's tone was uncharacteristically icy, making me wonder who the newcomer was.

"Sorry. I'll be out of your hair soon." Qrow's rough voice sounded out, and I sighed in relief that he was alright, before tensing up. 'Why does Nora have something against Qrow?'

"We would appreciate it if you departed now, _Mr. Branwen_." Ren's flat tone had even me wincing, both from its venom and the implication that both Nora and Ren knew about Qrow's family relations now.

Qrow sighed heavily. "Look, I get that you have beef with my sister from a couple years back, regardless of how she's turned things around since then. I get that you probably have a bone to pick with me too for the last few days. Fine. But I'm just here to say that someone wants to talk to you three, someone pretty damn important. That's it. I'll be leaving now."

The door opened again. "Qrow!"

The room was silent before the door closed again. "Yeah, kid?"

My shades were off, and I stared straight at Qrow's pained face as I used every second to think before closing them. "Before you leave, once I'm back on my feet, let's get a drink." I glared around with newly silver irises, cutting off any protests from Nora and Ren before they happened. Looking back at Qrow, I realized as he flinched that my now-constantly silver eyes must've reminded him of Summer and Ruby. 'Two people who probably weigh heavy on his mind…'

I slipped the shades back on to hear Qrow's response. "Sure. Just come find me. I'll probably be at the same tavern." The door opened again and Qrow stepped out, but as he slipped out another figure stepped through the doorway.

Even deprived of almost all light, his features were obvious. Silver hair and spectacles. Black and green suit and vest. A timeless cane and near-indestructible mug.

"Good afternoon. I hope I'm not disturbing your rest and recovery, but I wished to take a few moments and speak with you all before departing." The door closed and the mug was placed on a nearby dresser as he assumed an authoritative position. "I am Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy."

"…"

"…"

"…"

'…_Shit_…what the hell is Ozpin doing _here_? There's no way he found about my otherworldly status right? No, I told no one about that, he'd have to be aware of the event and have tracked me down which is impossible. But wait, what if he knows I'm the Specter?'

I made no effort whatsoever to speak, so Nora was the first to recover. "AWESOME! What're you doing in a small village like this?" Her blunt inquiry had Ren slapping his face and Ozpin chuckling.

"Well, I suppose my presence in Shion is two-pronged at the moment. Having been present in Mistral for the Vytal Festival when this Grimm attack occurred, I was sadly unable to rouse the Mistral Council into providing official support to aid in Shion's defense due to an ill-timed heist by Roman Torchwick. Forced into mobilizing independent and discreet support, it took slightly longer than anticipated to arrive in Shion, and by then reinforcements were tasked with the recovery effort instead. That is the first reason. The second involves 'checking in' with those that defended Shion on their own, which I was amazed to discover were only comprised of Qrow and you three brave individuals. So I am here to formally thank you on behalf of Beacon Academy, and Huntsmen as a whole." Ozpin bowed to general astonishment, and the wheels were still racing in my head when Ren spoke.

"Forgive me for asking Headmaster, but does this mean that Qrow Branwen was in your employ at the time of this incident?" There was no noticeable change in movement or posture from either party, but the air in the room seemed to tense.

"Yes. I'm afraid that Qrow has been having personal issues as of late that clearly began to bleed over into his professional work. I was oblivious to the level of such influence before, but now that innocent lives have been endangered by his behavior, I will be taking measures to ensure that-"

"You should give him some time off. Let him visit his family." I slapped a hand over my mouth, but the damage was already done as everyone in the room turned to me. Ren and Nora's expressions were obviously ones of outrage, but Ozpin's was far too nuanced for me to read while nearly-blind.

"How intriguing…even after all that has happened, you would see the man who endangered innocent lives, as well as your own, be given a proverbial slap on the wrist?" If Ozpin found my impromptu getup at all bizarre, it didn't show on his face or in his tone.

I swallowed. "He mentioned during the attack, that his negative mental state is due to issues with his family. He also mentioned that his work is important to you somehow. Forcing him away from work that might have repercussions in his current state, and forcing him to confront such issues with his family would be a very firm decision, and one that betters everyone overall."

Ozpin stared inscrutably. "…How very right you are. I suppose such insight should not be ignored from the defenders of Shion. Very well. I will give Qrow some leave from his work with the explicit condition of returning to his family." Ozpin reached for his mug and took a sip of cocoa. "In that case, we may progress to the other reason for my visit. Would you all be so kind as to tell me your names. And young man, could I trouble you to remove your sunglasses?"

Slowly, I took the three pairs of sunglasses off, and stared directly at Ozpin with my silver irises. A moment passed, two moments, before I closed my eyes. "I'm Kouzai Higure."

"My name is Lie Ren."

"And I'm Nora Valkyrie!"

"Wonderful…" Ozpin murmured as I placed two pairs of shades back on. Still slow, but at a level where speech didn't crawl. "Qrow informed me of your unique condition as a result of the grueling battle with a Beringel. To confirm, your eyes were not always silver?"

'Oh come one, I get that it's a unique color, but when you've got Yang, Tyrian, Klein and gods knows who else around, this really isn't that surprising!' I sighed. "No sir. My current eye color is due to my Aura being silver, as well as some change in my semblance making this eye color constant."

Ozpin's fingers visibly loosened around his cane. "I see. Qrow also informed me about aspects of your semblance that he observed, and I believe that you would do well to consult him about your new condition. But I digress. The main reason I wished to visit you all today is to express the gratitude of the people of Shion Village, of Mistral and of huntsmen and huntresses as a whole. For your brave and selfless actions, Beacon Academy would like to extend an offer to attend Beacon Academy in the coming year."

The spinning wheels ground to a halt. 'Ah damnit…so that's what this is about…'

"W-We're still underage," I stammered automatically.

"The mark of a true huntsman or huntress is determined by strength of character, of skill, and certainly not of age," Ozpin chuckled. "There have been various cases of early acceptance by those one or even two years younger than the age of adulthood at seventeen. Why, even Qrow was merely sixteen when he first attended the Academy, much as he attempted to conceal that fact."

I looked over at Nora and Ren, both of whom seem to have made up their minds already. My heart seized. 'Crap, what if they both accept? Do I go along with them? But then what about Team JNPR? Too many variables!"

"We thank you for your kind offer, but we believe that it would be best to apply at the regular age along with our friends of the same age as us." Ren's smile was warm enough to relax my terrified heart. "We might regret it were we to leave our friends behind at the chance of an early acceptance and attendance."

"Yeah, and we're not sure if we're up to snuff just yet," Nora added, gesturing with her bandaged arms and wincing at what seemed like muscle twinges. "We wouldn't wanna go now and fall behind compared to those who put the proper work in. Better to give it another year and be better prepared."

Ozpin nodded as if he'd expected this. "Wise of all of you to consider such factors. I am now further reassured of your acceptance to an academy when the time does come. Should you wish to apply at a different academy other than Beacon, Qrow and I would be more than willing to provide recommendations espousing the virtues and skills you three have exhibited. In addition, should there be any other Huntsmen-related requests or questions you may have, please feel free to reach out to Qrow or I. Here is our contact information." Ozpin handed two cards over to Ren, before opening the door and turning back.

"I wish you a swift and painless recovery, and best of luck to your futures, be they as Huntsmen or in whatever field you desire. Good day." The door closed, and I sagged back against the bed, eyes closed.

"I've had enough surprises for the year. And enough fighting. Hell, I've had enough of everything." The room was silent for a moment, and I looked over at Nora and Ren as they looked back. "What? Is it something I said?"

"Why'd you stick up for Qrow when he was on the chopping block with Ozpin? You were the one who was pissed at him during the fight?" Nora questioned.

"In addition, the matter of his now-obvious relation to Raven Branwen should have made you furious at the man. Instead, you offered to have a drink with him. Why?" Ren added.

I sighed, eyes still closed. "The whole thing with Raven isn't a big deal with me. He's not his sister, so he shouldn't be held accountable for the things she's done. And I didn't stick up for Qrow so much as condemn the man to facing his issues, which he seems deathly afraid of confronting. Whether or not that's merciful or cruel is subjective. And…in part, I genuinely feel bad for him. With a semblance like his, decades of suffering have probably warped his opinion on whether people want him around or not, on whether he _should_ be around people or not. To hear that he's adrift without a singular anchor to ground him…in any case, I'll be giving him my own stern talking-to, one that you both won't be present for. If you've got issues with him, bring them up separately, alright?"

"That's fair."

"Fine…"

"Good. Now I'm taking the mother of all naps. Something tells me I'm gonna need it."

… … …

I found Qrow at a table by one of the intact windows in the tavern, limping over and taking a seat. The man glanced curiously at the dark sunglasses I was wearing in a dim tavern at night.

"Turns out I've got a passive semblance now, one that get's very annoying when I want to talk to people. The more light I filter out, the weaker the effect gets, until I close my eyes and everything's normal." I turned to the waitress passing by. "Could I get a double of whiskey?"

"You sure you should be drinking, kid? You look like you got run over by a grounded bullhead. Not to mention you're underage."

"Qrow, I'm nearly seventeen, and I just survived a fight with dozens of Nevermore, over a hundred Beowolves, a nest of Manticores and a Beringel. I'm having a double of whiskey."

"Hey, I handled the Manticores," Qrow mumbled as the waitress walked away with the order. "Alright fine. What'd you wanna talk about? Oz tells me I've got you to thank for my newfound free time, _and_ the trip I've gotta make back to Patch."

"Patch? That where the dreaded family is?" I asked needlessly as Qrow glared. "Or is it with Raven and her band of merry and murderous men?"

"So you know about Raven and the Tribe. Can't say I blame the hostility now," Qrow muttered, taking down more of his own whiskey. "I take it the other two aren't pleased with me on that."

"Not in the slightest," I exclaimed cheerfully as my drink arrived. Raising it to Qrow, I took a sip and laid it on the table. "But my issue with you was never about that. It's about you ignoring your family just because you think they don't need you anymore."

Qrow froze, before his hand tensed around his glass. "Careful what lines you cross, kid. I'm not exactly at my most restrained at the moment."

"That works for me, it's easier to get through to someone when they're blubbering," I shot back. "So, tell me about your situation and how awful it is."

"You a shrink now, kid?"

"Nope. I'm just the guy who was unconscious for two days from injuries caused by your moody demeanor."

"Tss…fair enough." Qrow took a gulp of his whiskey, calling for yet another. "Fine. We got the blonde bastard who gets all the ladies, my sister who was just human enough to own up to her mistake of abandoning her family, and two teenage nieces who've spent nearly their whole lives without a mom. Cue dear ol' sis waltzing back in through the door, and suddenly all's right with the world."

I somehow simultaneous deadpanned and gaped at Qrow. "Are you really telling me your sister, Raven Branwen, bogeyman of Anima, stealer of candy from babies, went back to her family and they accepted her? Just like that?"

Qrow winced, finishing off his first, or rather first in my presence, double before moving onto his second. "Not quite. There was a lot of screaming. Like, _a lot_. Like, 'making up for over a decade of abandonment' a lot. And things have changed with the Tribe, loath as I am to admit it. 'Stead of murdering and thieving villages, it's more a mercenary service. Prices are high as all get-out, sure, but it's as legit as you can get with a tribe of crooks." Qrow noticed my now-just-deadpan, coughing and taking another gulp. "Still, Firecracker's worked out some of her issues with Mom of the year, and Pipsqueak's happy to see her sister happy."

"Who in the holy hell are 'Firecracker' and 'Pipsqueak'?"

"…Ah, fuck it. Their names are Yang and Ruby. One with a temper just shy of supernova, and the other a hyperactive, socially-awkward, sweets-obsessed munchkin." Qrow's tone had shifted to wistful. "Love 'em to death."

"And that's why you decided to stay away from them? Because they got back something that was missing in their lives, you thought it best to take away something else that they love?" Qrow's smile snapped into a scowl. "Hey, your words, not mine."

"Really starting to regret agreeing to drink with you…"

"And yet, here we are, or rather, here you _still are_."

"…I…my semblance is misfortune, plain and simple. Bad luck for you, bad luck for me, bad luck for anyone and everyone around me. I've lost plenty in my life; money, possessions, friends, family. But the thought of something happening to either of my nieces…my blood chills just thinking it."

And here was the crux of it all. "Are you scared that your semblance might cause something to happen to them, or just scared that it might change what they think of you?"

Qrow's hand shot out and gripped my shirt before the man himself seemed to register it. Letting the momentum pull me forward slightly, my glasses dipped down my nose as I looked Qrow right in the eye, silver irises and all. Shaking, the hand released its grip as Qrow drank the rest of his double. "I don't care what they think of me…okay, I don't care what they think of me _as much_ as I care about what might happen to them. I'm stayin' away 'cause I know my semblance'll get to 'em if I stick around. Sure, it hurts not seeing 'em, but I'd rather _I_ hurt than them."

I straightened my shirt out. "Newsflash, that's a colossal failure. If you were trying to make it so that they wouldn't be hurt by you being around, why even become part of their life in the first place?" I held my hand out, cutting off his sharp retort. "Rhetorical question, I know you did it because Raven left and it was just Dad with Ruby and Yang. Fact is, you still became a part of their lives. A pretty treasured part too, I'd wager. So I'd say they _do_ need _and_ want you."

"But with Raven around, they don't need someone as dangerous as me! Or they shouldn't," Qrow said heatedly.

"And who gets to decide who's needed in a person's life? You? Hell no, that's up to the person themselves. You ever ask Ruby or Yang whether they want you in their lives?" Qrow's guilty look was telling. "Trick question, it's _implied_ they still want you in their lives, dumbass. All you're doing by traveling halfway across Remnant to hide from them is hurting them."

"But their lives will be better off without my semblance going off on them, instead of sticking around and leaving it free to hurt them!"

"Then let _them_ decide that! Let the person themselves decide the benefits or drawbacks of having you in their lives. Or better yet, _talk_! If you're so gung-ho about living the hermit life so that no one you care for gets hurt, why not just tell them about your semblance?"

"…"

"Is it because _they probably wouldn't care_? Or maybe because they'd do something like stick closer to you because of it?"

"…" Qrow looked about to topple over, and for once it wasn't solely due to alcohol. I'd thought this argument over, rehearsed it even. If there was something, _anything_ I needed to fix on Remnant, it was this. One of my own mistakes. I could not, _would not_ allow a family to break apart because of me.

"Ruby and Yang have gone though enough hardship in their lives as it is. Don't let your absence be added to that pile." I laid a hand on Qrow's shoulder. "Talk with them. Talk with everyone in your life, and be frank. If you truly care about the people you have in your life, let _them_ make an informed choice about it."

Qrow blinked rapidly, and I silently stacked the various glasses on the table and brought them back to the counter. As I returned, Qrow's eyes were dry, but also resolved. Reaching behind him, he placed something leather-wrapped on the table.

"Take it you have an idea of how Raven and I were raised." I nodded. "We did things I'm not proud of, and this' one 'em. No one in the tribe was strong enough to bring down a Huntsmen, but Raven and I together managed it a year or two before Beacon. The first Huntsmen kill the Tribe ever made…the spoils went to Rae and I. I got the huntsman's knife, and Rae got that gun 'round your waist."

I silently touched Corona in its holster while staring at the knife on the table.

"No one knew what the knife did, and everyone thought it was just a good blade. It wasn't till Beacon that I found out what passive semblances were, and that I had one. Turns out, so did this knife's owner." Qrow slid the knife out of its sheath, and held the gleaming white blade up to the light. Maybe it was the tavern's wavering light, but it seemed to glow red and yellow for a moment. "The blade's made with Orichalchum, native to Vale. Known for having all sortsa weird reactions with Aura, and each weapon's unique. This one…draws Aura from passive semblance users."

I sucked in a breath I didn't know I'd been holding and Qrow chuckled. "Relax, it ain't gonna suck you dry or anything, more like little wisps here and there and the rare spike. It's helped smooth out some of the jumps in my semblance. I always meant to hand it down to Ruby or Yang, tell 'em to have a backup weapon just in case but…"

"It exudes the properties of the Auras and semblances absorbed," I finished as Qrow nodded. "Meaning that knife has two decades of your Aura and semblance in it."

"Right in one. I'm worried about what it might do if Ruby or Yang has it, but you? You're a badass tough guy." We both shared a laugh at my expense. "I'm not worried about handing this over to you, not if Rae's already seen fit to pass that pistol on. I've just got one condition."

"And that is?"

Qrow leaned forward. "Oz told me you three plan on goin' to Beacon in a couple years. Same as Yang. If I give you this, promise to look after her, and after Ruby when she's old enough to get in. Do that, an' maybe I'll follow through on your advice."

'Well, when you put it like that…' I laid my hand on the knife, and I swear the blade shined with a silver sheen. "You have my word."

… … …

"And heerrree you go!"

"Nora, I don't think it was necessary to carry Kouzai up the boat's ramp."

"But he's trying to walk around with his eyes closed! What if he slipped and fell? What if that possessed knife of his caused something bad to happen to him?"

"…Regardless, I don't believe it was necessary to _carry_ Kouzai up the ramp. I also don't believe you should be squeezing him to the point of strangulation.

"HHAAAAAAHHH," I gasped for air as Nora released me. "Thanks for the urgency, Ren." Ren smiled that near-smirk expression that only he could do.

Having since recovered from the attack, we resumed our travel to Anima's western shore to where the boat to Sanus and Vale was. After discreet calls to Weylin on how my project was going, and even more discreet calls to Lil' Miss confirming the status of my accommodations, we made haste in order to make the departure time and date.

"This is the first time we'll be apart in years…" Nora said, tearing up. "Who's going to make sure you live after getting hospitalized every fight? How will you ever survive?"

"I think I'll be fine," I replied dryly. "And it'll only be until the practical examinations, which you'll both be coming to Vale for."

"Nonetheless, it does seem slightly hazardous to attempt surviving alone in Vale without your eyesight," Ren added. "It's also a shame that you won't be present for the unveiling of the CCT relay tower in Yozakura at the next flower viewing festival."

"Like I said, I'll be taking things easy while I'm in Vale, to get used to things without seeing, or at least find a way to mitigate Chronometry's effect." I leaned in. "And considering that we agreed to _not_ tell Ms. Fujiko we fought an invasion of Grimm until _you_ two return to Yozakura, it's not me I'm worried for." We all collectively shuddered at Ms. Fujiko's impending wrath.

'And here I'll have the last laugh.' I wrapped my arms around both their shoulders in a hug as I smirked. "And so help me, if you two haven't gotten together by the time you come to Vale, I'll conspire with whoever your teammates are at Beacon to lock you in a room until you start banging."

"EEP!"

"…"

The ship's horn signaled the impending departure as I pushed my two fiercely-blushing friends down the ramp. "Be well, and stay safe!"

I watched as Nora and Ren stood alone for the first time since my coming to Remnant. It was undoubtedly sad, but in a year's time, I'd look them proudly in the eye and say it was worth it. 'The how will remain silent though.'

The journey towards Vale was beginning. Towards Cinder. Towards Amber. Towards the fight.

And I'd be ready for them.

**TIME REMAINING UNTIL START OF CANON: 1 YEAR**

… … …

… … …

Qrow sat along in one of his favorite Mistral haunts, waiting for his company to arrive as he swirled a glass around in his hand. His thoughts were still on the calls he'd just gotten off of.

To Oz, thanking him for giving him the chance to make it up to Ruby and Yang, even if he himself didn't see it that way yet.

To Rae, actually having to apologize for acting like a 'birdbrain with a pint of whiskey where his brain should be'. There was also a surprising question or two about the kid, meaning he'd better send a heads-up message the kid's way.

Eh, he'd be fine.

To Amber, letting the poor girl know he'd be back soon and they'd resume travelling Vale. He'd also be closer at hand this time, and yes, he understood about how Amber had magical powers, and yes, he understood how Misfortune would do little to mitigate how terrifying and powerful those powers were to most people.

To Ruby, Yang and Tai. Tai accepted things easily enough, but his nieces…gods, he was going to need _a lot_ of sweets, weapon mods and fancy clothes to smooth how long he'd been gone over. Tai had apparently told them he'd just been gone for an extended mission, softy that he was.

A knot he hadn't even known was in his stomach finally loosened at the thought of seeing Ruby and Yang again. Taking a hearty sip from him glass, he heard the chair opposite his scrape slightly as Winter Schnee sat down.

"Finally done with all that Torchwick heist paperwork?" Qrow asked, watching Winter run a hand through perfect white locks.

"Indeed. The reports required after such an incident, especially for those from other kingdoms involved, was quite frankly staggering," Winter muttered, before her eyes narrowed. "I heard you were involved in your own incident in Shion Village, something about a Grimm attack. Why are you not similarly buried in paperwork?"

Qrow grinned gleefully. "Oz saw fit to give me vacation time, and I took it to mean vacation time _immediately_. As in, so immediately either him or Glynda will be handling the paperwork."

Immaculate brows furrowed as Winter scowled, before one raised. "And Headmaster Ozpin accepted this?"

Qrow winced. "Well…part of the vacation involves going back to Patch to visit the nieces, who I've…kind of been avoiding…"

"Ah, _your_ punishment has already been administered, I see." Winter smirked as her one drink for the evening arrived. "I take it your nieces were not pleased with your absence?"

"Understatement of the century," Qrow groaned. "I'll probably spend the next _year_ or so trying to get back in their good graces. Not to mention, I've gotta hear about Yang's drinking exploits, and Ruby's secret Grimm-killing excursions, and all the stuff happening at Signal!"

"I am placed in a similar, yet perhaps more rewarding situation," Winter replied, sipping at her drink. "Father has seen fit to increase Weiss' studies, likely in a bid to dissuade her from trying to apply for Beacon Academy, or at the very least dash her chances of training for it. I have been the recipient of countless questions regarding training, studies, and 'conniving, rotten little brothers'."

"Ouch. Trainings easy enough with Ruby, and Yang usually takes it up with her dad," Qrow chuckled. "Come to think of it, you're not upset your sister's aiming for Beacon instead of Atlas?"

Winter placed her drink on the table and laid both hands flat. "I _may_ wish she could follow in my footsteps, but Weiss is her own person, and may take what path she wishes. If teenage rebellion against Father has her attending a prestigious academy such as Beacon, then I have no complaints."

"Ha, aint that right." Qrow raised his glass. "To teenage rebellion, and all the joys and woes that come with it."

"Hear, hear." Both glasses clinked as a comfortable silence fell for a moment. Setting his glass down, Qrow considered something, before leaning forward.

"Care to hear a secret of mine?"

"…I cannot say I am opposed. Is it vitally important?"

"To me it is…it's about my semblance."

**A/N: Whew, another year for the history books. I hope things hashed out in a satisfying manner regarding Qrow for readers. I'm getting better at getting all my ideas down into my writing, but it's still not a perfect process. Also, not that it was a hard and fast rule, but I came back to Qrow again because of the new ramifications on Kouzai's actions, not to mention the effects on those involved.**

**As for the other parts of the chapter, hopefully those turned out well too. Kouzai's semblance has undergone some changes, and those will have their own effects. As for the other thing? Well…**

**No Omake this week, figured I'd leave things with Qrow. Happy Thanksgiving!**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 12/02/19**


	18. Chapter 15: Where There Is Smoke

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: We're finally here at Year 5 of the Countdown Arc! I wonder if this is what it felt like for the writers of the Injustice Comic series, planning right up to the events of the series. In any event, Happy December as well! Now for some reviews.**

**Oblivious IJ: Now the image of Kakashi with the headband over both eyes, or some visor like Shino or Cyclops won't leave my head. As for eye transplants, Kouzai's firmly invested in keeping his in his skull.**

**The Crowned Reaper: Ah yes, throwing jabs at the lifestyles of acquaintances is a favorite pastime. In terms of Kouzai's team, I will not be making a team of OCs, considering how much work it'd be to add three other characters at this stage in the plot. Nor will Kouzai be joining another team as a replacement or fifth team member, so it'll be in the category of something else.**

**Raidentensho: Your ideas of earthly legends and mythology weaving is impressive as usual, but I have to be honest in stating that I know very little of the 3 Kingdoms story. Who knows, I might eventually be paralleling that plotline without realizing it.**

**Resurrection99: Haha, nice stats on the knife. If this were a Gamer-type fanfic, I probably would've structured it somewhere along those lines. You know, except for the bit where falling meteors are a possibility.**

**AlexFalTon: Thanks for the compliment. The good thing about walking into Remnant after having watched nearly all of the show is having a hopefully decent understanding of what drives a lot of the main characters. And so to have their psyches and thought processes dissected and dismantled by a relative stranger can be jarring for most. And I'd also likely ask for some of Ozpin's coffee if I ever met him, though I'd probably get violently rejected for trying to interfere with the wizard's most important possession.**

**Gabe2000: Thanks for the pinapple, I think? And you can certainly look forward to the inevitable accumulation of the changes that Kouzai's actions and existence on Remnant have caused.**

**PyromaniacRabbit: Got it in one regarding Amber, though you'll have to read on regarding how. Regarding the knife, I think sticking to the mechanics of whatever the passive semblances are stated to have keeps things more stable. So probably no lasting curse of misfortune when stabbed, but certainly a general affliction of misfortune that'll lead to an easier time of getting stabbed.**

**AxelLord20: Thanks for the compliment, and glad that you like the writing. I'm not exactly great at self-marketing and putting myself out there, but I trust that if the writing is good then it'll get noticed by others.**

**Alright, since that's done with, onto the last few announcements. As I mentioned back in October, the incoming onslaught of finals will require some intense focus and study, so I'll have to take a couple weeks off to focus on them. As previously mentioned, this means that there will be no update on December 9 or December 16, making the next and last chapter of the Countdown Arc on December 23. Yeah, it's unfortunate, but I managed to get Chapter 16 to you all to hopefully make up for things in the meantime. It feels strange and a little sad to pause on writing for a bit, but grad school calls. Hopefully the readership can wait that long, and I promise that my return with be swift, painful (for Kouzai, as usual), and delicious to read. Anyone get that reference? Eh?**

**Chapter 15: Where There Is Smoke**

**Chapter Date 12/02/19**

"C'mon ladies, let's pick up the pace! I'm dying of boredom over here!"

"Oh MY gods, I'm going to sew your mouth shut if it kills me!"

"Also, _you're_ the one who's losing to _us_ right now!"

Heavy footsteps from the left. A glance showed a flash of red closing in. Something whistled through the air, and I brought Protector up to meet a set of gauntleted claws, a move that'd taken me hundred of failed tries to get right. The outline of red nearly filling my vision, I thrust Conqueror forward at the figure's torso.

"OW! That nearly hit my b-" Another hit with Conqueror sent the figure silently twisting to the side.

Click click CLICK

Distinctive steps came from behind, and I pivoted to guard my chest and face from a sharp-heeled boot.

"Damnit, how did you even-KUH!" Grabbing the pale blue-outlined limb against my weapons, I yanked the leg forward and backhanded with Protector, whacking the speaker across the face as she reeled.

"I said to mix it up! Get some more arm strikes or leg strikes in, and don't be afraid to grapple! Or you know, _use your ranged options_!"

"Listen, you smug sonofa-"

"Fine, you asked for it!"

The sounds of mecha-shifting filled my hearing, before two sets of footsteps took more immediate priority. I backed up to catch both figures rushing towards me in tandem, blue on the left and red on the right.

BANG BANG

An accelerated right arm swung straight into Protector, and I tensed my arm to parry the hit as a clawed left arm lanced towards my torso. Twisting sideways, I roundhoused the red Aura outline to the side and used the momentum to swing down with Conqueror.

CLANG

Mithril rod met bladed heel as I struggled to force the locked leg downwards. "Better, but not-GUHH!" A surprisingly strong kick powered into my back, shoving me forwards as a handstanding blue figure whipped my head around with her other leg. Turning involunatarily, I managed to raise Conqueror in time to block another clawed attack.

BANG

Frigid cold enveloped my arm from where the claws and Conqueror met, and in my shock I was swung around. A quick sweep to my feet prevented me from finding my footing, and I whirled around towards the blue-wreathed figure, a spot of red glowing at their feet.

I clenched my abs as tight as I could. 'This is gonna hurt.'

WHAM

A backwards roundhouse kick and Fire Dust-augmented weapon registered as a stabbing heat forcibly doubling me over. I felt my Aura shimmer as it dropped to disqualification levels, and the alarm on the scroll rang not a second later.

"Hah, hah, ok. Good spar, you two. That was much better than-GAAH! Miltia, watch the claws please, and easy on breaking the literal ice freezing our arms!" My Aura shimmered again as Miltia Malachite's claws raked across my skin as she yanked her arm out. "I do have to ask though, what's with the swapped Dust palettes?"

"Because you and your stupid idea of matching Dust types to our _outfit colors_ was stupid, and Fire Dust suited me better than Miltia. She took the Ice Dust instead." Melanie Malachite flicked long black locks back over her shoulder and started strutting away. Or, at least it looked that way from the shape of the Aura outline.

'It's not my fault your outfits _and_ Aura colors matched…with Remnant's dedication to color, I figured things like Dust preferences would line up with colors as well.' I shook off the last bits of ice on my body, then let Protector and Conqueror merge into a solid length of Mithril. Tapping left and right, I made my way over to the counter where burgundy Aura outlined an impressively tall figure.

"I still don't quite get why you've got a fully functioning bar in the same place as the workout facilities and sparring grounds, Junior." I felt my way onto a seat as the man in question snorted.

"Unlike the prestigious and infinitely-funded Hunstmen academies with trainers and staff galore, the equipment we've got here is much more barebones. No one'll accuse me of skimping out on making sure my men stay in shape, but there's a clear difference between what I can provide and what places like Beacon can. Something like this," Junior swept an arm around the counter, "helps keep the morale up some. Either way, I don't see or hear you complaining about it."

A glass of whiskey made its way to my hand and I raised it appreciatively. "And you likely never will. I'm hard-pressed enough to find bars and taverns in Vale that'll serve minors, let alone a huntsman-in-training who appears to be blind. Couple that with the ability for me to stay in shape without raising eyebrows, and you're golden."

"Speaking of, I noticed you're getting better at tracking their moves. Is it the hearing, or…"

"A sharpening of Aura vision," I responded simply, nursing my drink. Trying to adjust to going without vision, especially after having relied on Chronometry for years, was more than a little rough, and I spent a decent portion of my travel from Anima to Sanus just trying to get the basics of walking straight and going up and down the stairs right, let alone things like eating. Even after landing in Vale and getting acquainted with Junior, his men and the twins, going from navigating a passenger ship to one of Remnant's largest cities was daunting. I nearly gave up multiple times, but I knew I had to get Chronometry under control if I was going to avoid cracking under the strain of a permanently slowed life. It took over half a year, but now I could make out the barest outlines of people and animals and what color their Aura was. Getting another copy of Protector and Conqueror from Weylin to use as temporary weapons and a guiding cane helped as well.

"Looks like the twins listened to your advice on diversifying their moveset and adding in some ranged options," Junior commented, amusement obvious in his tone. "So what are Mil and Mel getting for beating you this time?"

"Ughh, they're clamoring about a new sushi place in the commercial district. Fresh ingredients, heart attack-inducing prices. You know, the regular wager," I groaned. "They have to know that I'm being paid by their mom to watch over them, including a stipend for situations like this, so I'm not really losing anything."

"Oh, you can be sure they know it's not on your dime, Kouzai," Junior chuckled. "It's more the satisfaction they get from being beating you, or rather being able to avoid the embarrassment of losing two-on-one to a teenager who's purposefully chosen to forgo using his sight, semblance and _main weapon_."

"Well, when you put it like that…" I grumbled, taking another sip of my drink. 'It's not my fault that I wanted to avoid accidentally hurting Mil or Mel, so I stopped using Mirror's Edge against them.' "I've already told them both multiple times about my semblance and how important it is to work around it, though."

"I thought that's what the fancy sunglasses were for," Junior pointed out, and I touched the shades adorning my face. One of the first ideas I'd thought of on the way to Vale were transparency-variant sunglasses, to control the amount of light filtering through to Chronometry. In a world like Remnant, acquiring such advanced technology was rather simple, so much so that Mil and Mel had given the sunglasses to me as a birthday gift. I'd also made sure my Specter mask was outfitted with the same technology. "They probably aren't too happy that you aren't putting them to use."

"Considering that I'm finally making headway towards developing my Aura-sensing capabilities, I'll have to take their grudges and complaints in stride," I grumbled, finishing off my drink as Junior passed me another. "Speaking of complaints, has there been any word from Lil' Miss about what exactly I'm supposed to be doing? The objective 'look after them' is _extremely vague and very open to interpretation_. Not to mention the twins kind of have you for that."

"No word from the boss yet, but I'd be lying if I said I haven't been giving it some thought," Junior replied. "It's true that I was also directed to watch Miltia and Melanie, but I'm more like a father figure to them. You clearly aren't, meaning that Lil' Miss had a different reason for asking you, one that utilizes either your skills or your _sparkling_ personality."

"Junior, if we're being honest, those two have me beat in the sarcasm category, the witty comeback category, the biting insults category, and just about every one that doesn't involve fighting, academics, morality, or being a guy," I shot back. "And of those four, only three are even remotely in the realm of possibility."

"Then that's the list. Either you're here to protect them, teach them, or keep them off the darker gray path." Junior shrugged. "After all, you _have_ questioned them about Beacon a couple times."

"Yeah, because I was curious about their employment plans beyond being employees affiliated with your 'business', and given that they're good at combat I thought it was an option. It doesn't mean that I'm pushing them to go or anything." My hand was on my face until I thought of a horrifying possibility. "Wait, Lil' Miss won't have me killed or anything for asking them about Beacon right? I swear I wasn't-"

"Relax Kouzai. Yeesh, Lil' Miss wasn't kidding when she said you overthink things. I doubt the boss would have you taken out just because you gave them a bit of advice. If it ends up panning out, there's nothing wrong with having a Huntsmen license in your back pocket, considering the number Lil' Miss has under contract," Junior mused as I shook my head. "More likely, it might have something to do with how insistent you've been with this information network of yours, and she's just being cautious about the things she cares for. Things like requests for information on Marcus Black, Adam Taurus and _Roman_ tend to raise some eyebrows."

'Great, another change I might've caused with my inquiries.' I downed the rest of my drink. "Speaking of, has there been any recent information on any of their movements?" It was hard-fought transaction, but it seemed that the influence I'd curried with Lil' Miss was enough to tack Torchwick onto the surveillance list, in exchange for quite a bit less pay for looking after Miltia and Melanie. Oh well, it probably wouldn't be too good for an orphaned minor to have too large a bank account anyways, and if it helped me keep track of my enemies, two Nevermore with one stone.

"Not that I can tell," Junior answered with a shake of his head. "Marcus Black has remained nearly completely silent over the last two years, which leads some to believe he may be retiring soon. Taurus hasn't been spotted in any other kingdom recently, so it's safe to say he's still in Vale. Roman loves to make a scene wherever he pops up, a la _every heist he's ever pulled_, so he's also still in the city. My boys will be making the rounds. And still no information whatsoever on this Cinder Fall, which is probably more than enough cause for concern for Lil' Miss if she's got you spooked."

'Another dead end, at least for now. No matter, just more time for preparations.' I slid my glass over to Junior and stood up. "Just call it me being a concerned citizen paying attention to the Remnant-wide threads of the web, pun intended. If I find anything out, I'll be sure to let you and Lil' Miss by extension know. I trust that the same applies to me."

"Heh, just keep making Miltia and Melanie stronger. Whether you're supposed to protect them or teach them, just do what you've been doing and you'll be fine."

"You can count on that, Junior." I turned away from the counter. "After all, I've still got plenty left to-WOAH!" My guiding rod slipped as I stepped away, upsetting my balance and sending me towards the ground. Instinctively, I flared my Aura shield and braced my forearms wide apart to disperse the impact. As I did, my arm caught the edge of a table, upending it and sending whatever was on it tumbling.

CRASH

CRACK

BOOM

Glass shattered around me, and I was pretty sure one of my forearms had gone through the wooden floor. "Uhh…sorry…"

'Damnit, Qrow…'

… … …

"Sometimes I think that knife might be more trouble than it's worth," I grumbled, toweling off my hair as I stepped out of the bathroom towards the couch in my apartment. "Then again, the benefits _are_ pretty good, and it's handy to keep around as a backup weapon."

Qrow's old knife, which I'd since named Luna, was quite the unique piece of weaponry, even among the eclectic and individualized arms of Remnant. By itself, it was a knife forged from orichalchum, giving it superior durability and sharpness, albeit not quite at the level of adamantium. However, with some of Qrow's Aura imbued into the blade, having it on my person mimicked the kind of passive effect Misfortune was displayed to have on Qrow and those around him. When personally wielding the weapon, the effect seemed to increase, like it exuded power to match its Aura-reinforced state.

Having Qrow's semblance definitely made Luna a contender in its own right, but the kicker was the passive semblance of whomever had owned Luna before Qrow. Whoever he was, his passive semblance, manifested in a yellow Aura, was to store energy or Aura into objects, and release it when prompted. Similar to Yang's Burn or Adam's Moonslice, the difference seemed to be that the Aura invested wasn't reliant on taking outside force and didn't seem to dissipate, meaning that stored Aura had no limit. I had witnessed the unknown semblance's effect while at a practice range for aspiring and current Huntsmen. While using Mirror's Edge, I was sparring with a training bot when a thrust from my Aura-reinforced longsword released what could only be described as a beam of my own silver Aura, one that tore through the robot and impacted against the wall. Needless to say, I was not allowed back in that facility, and I hadn't been able to and hadn't wanted to test the effect since.

"No need to add yet another dangerous and risky idea to the list, or I'll never get done at this rate," I muttered, plopping down on the couch. Picking up my scroll, I listened to the list of reminders and selected the most pressing of them to attend to. A minute later, my scroll finished ringing as my call got through. "Hello? Kouzai, that you?"

"Good to hear you again, Weylin," I chuckled. "I'd ask how Nora and Ren are doing, but I'll be calling them next so I'll skip straight to business. How is the project coming along?"

"Well, let's just say the next time you hand me something that's got a blueprint and ask for the impossible, I'm slamming the door in your face," Weylin growled, before laughing. "It's nearly done. I should have it done and ready to send along with Pinky and her boy. I've got a question though, and it's not about the device or its origin, cause that's _pretty fucking obvious_. It's about the _other_ project you've been working on. What do you plan on doing with it?"

I had the scroll call set to audio only, but I kept a straight face regardless. "That function will only be used when absolutely necessary." I brushed my hand over Corona, feeling the different modifications I'd added to it.

"That doesn't answer the question, brat."

"…To do whatever it takes to do the job. You of all people know this, Weylin."

Weylin sighed audibly. "Yeah, I do know. Better than you in fact. I won't stop you from whatever you're planning, and really, how could I when I'm halfway across Remnant? Just know…some actions can't be taken back, and you can't erase a deed once the ink's on the paper. Just keep that mind, if not for yourself, then for Nora and Ren."

'…Sorry Weylin, but I was put on this path the second I was put on Remnant.' "I know, and I'll remember you advice. But on that note, are there any issues with the composition or structure of Corona and its modifications?"

"Nope, the piece should be fully functional and ready for whatever magic you're pumping into it."

"It's not magic Weylin, it's just some difficult science."

"Get adept enough in either, and they start to look the same."

'Huh, he has a point.' "Regardless, thank you for verifying the feasibility with your expertise. You've been a good friend, and a good, crazy grandpa to Nora."

"I'm a cautionary tale boy, and I won't let anyone in Wind Path or Yozakura forget it," Weylin growled. "And don't sound so resigned, you'll raise death flags for yourself."

We both shared a laugh at that, and I said my goodbyes before I hung up. Taking a moment to unwind from that, I turned to the next call on my list. 'Oh dear, this one's gonna be _fun_.'

One call later…"KOUZAI! YOU'RE NOT DEAD!"

"Nora, we spoke to him yesterday."

"Yeah, but that was _yesterday_. Think of how vulnerable and alone he is without us there! He could die at any moment!"

"I'm really loving the confidence in my abilities, Nora," I muttered into the call, before settling back down on the couch. "How are you both doing? Any new news on the state of things in Yozakura?"

"Save for the increase in tourism in the town since the relay tower's unveiling, life has occurred at nearly the same pace. Nora and I train daily, we are following your proposed study schedule to the extent of Nora's attention span, and are securing our preparations for the move to Vale soon. On your side, I trust that life in Vale has remained relatively peaceful and fulfilling?"

"Oh totally, let me tell you about all the landmarks that I've seen while I've been here." I grinned as Ren shook his head amusedly while Nora laughed.

"OOH, we have to go to some of Vale's big places after we get there, and _you're_ gonna be there and helping us, mister." This time it was my turn to laugh.

"Talk about the blind leading the blind then. Alright, whatever the lady desires."

"Oh, and Pyrrha and Jaune have both said they'll be applying for Beacon as well! So we'll all get to see each other again!"

"Well, _that's_ a huge surprise…any word on if Sun and Neptune will be doing the same?"

"Both have confirmed their desire to attend Haven Academy, but have promised to remain in contact with us."

The small talk was pleasant, and a dose of the insane normalcy I'd come to enjoy over the last few years. Eventually though, as the conversation reached a comfortable lull, I paused for a second. "Sooo, any other subjects you guys wanna talk about, hmmm?"

"EEP! I mean, no, of course not silly, what else could we even have to talk about, haha…"

"Really? And here I thought you might be trying to grill me on my potential list of conquests while I've been in Vale? Apathetic towards your friend's love life now?"

"Krr-Oh no-krr-the reception's-krr-cutting out-krrr-talk tomorrow see youuuuuu!" The call ended and I shook my head. 'Too bad they didn't fall for the bait, otherwise I would've been able to grill them back on how they're doing together. Seriously, after third-wheeling with them for nearly four years, you'd think they'd be all over each other by now. Ah well, I'll find out for myself when I see them.' Rising off the couch, I walked over to the wall by my dining table where a map of Vale hung. Pressing my hand on the flat surface, I felt around for the tactile markers I'd placed pinpointing where I predicted Amber's ambush would happen. It'd taken months of information gathering, vague clues and much frustration, but I had a general lock on the area. 'And that day is coming up soon.'

'Now, who's next on the list?'

… … …

"Alright, so tell us about Beacon again."

"What's left to tell? I've already mentioned the classes, most of the staff, the general schedule, the layout, the students and even the type of food they've got."

"I wanna hear about teams."

"I'd like more details on how hard it might be to graduate."

"Hah…alright, where do I start? Teams are made up of four students and are formed in initiation, from two pairs of partners. They usually match pairs into teams by how well they work together I think. As for graduating, I can't imagine that'd be much tougher than high school or college. If you show up, study and do the work, you'll be fine. It's not like Remnant has a surplus of Huntsmen at the moment." I raised my hand to my chin, trying to remember if I forgot anything. Across from me, Miltia and Melanie sat after having devoured an enormous amount of sushi. 'Aura-empowered appetites will be the death of me. Thank the gods I'm reimbursed for this, and won't have to worry about food costs once I'm in Beacon."

"Ugh, we have to show up to classes _and_ study? What's the benefit of having Huntsmen licenses again?"

"Uhh, you mean besides the abundance of missions, increased clearance and access, and top-quality education by some of Remnant's most capable scholars and warriors? Let's see…Beacon has a massive population of supermodel-level insanely-fit men and women?"

"Aaaaand sold." I rubbed my face and called for the bill as Mil and Mel high-fived each other. "You wouldn't believe the trashiness of some of the people that come to Junior's club sometimes."

"Then again, Kouzai here seems pretty comfortable interacting with people on both sides of the legal line. Which makes it so surprising that you have _no_ idea how to interact with girls."

"Untrue," I responded automatically. "I've had girlfriends before. Matter of fact, I-hmm? Oh, one second." Pulling out my scroll, I accepted the call.

"Kouzai, we've got a problem."

"Junior? What happened?" I frowned and ran through some of the possible scenarios in my head. 'Encroaching rival gang? Increasing White Fang presence? Oh gods, is Goodwitch at the club right now?'

"I've had my boys making their rounds combing Vale for signs of Roman. The good news is that we picked up a trail. The bad news is that trail leads out of Vale, and he's been gone for at least a day by the look of it."

"…shit…" I slapped down some lien cards on the table and made for the exit, shutting out Miltia and Melanie's indignant shouts. Slamming the door open, I rushed down the street and was back at my apartment within minutes.

'Based on the dates from that backstory episode in Volume 3, Roman should be busy making Dust robberies around Vale for Cinder's plan. Why would he leave? It's not to escape Cinder, since he couldn't manage it the first time around. Then…_they went to help in the ambush_…'

I froze on the spot, in the middle of grabbing Mirror's Edge and my 'go bag', then raised my scroll to my ear. "…Junior, are you still there?"

"Yeah. You wanna tell me what's got you so spooked?"

"Nothing that I'm certain of, but I'll need to take some vacation time."

"What? Now?"

"Yes. And Junior? If I don't call back within a week, inform Lil' Miss." I hung up before Junior could reply, and I took a deep breath. One…

'Roman…the introduction to the White Fang…'

Two…

'The ambush…the train heist…'

Three.

I slipped the sunglasses onto my face, and for the first time in nearly a year, I opened my eyes and saw the world in a slowed light. Angling my body, I started running for Vale's gates.

'I'll make it in time. I have to.'

… … …

… … …

"Kouzai? Kouzai!? Damnit!" Junior nearly slammed his scroll on the counter and pinched the bridge of his nose.

This was bad. Kouzai wasn't going rogue necessarily, but an unscheduled vacation away from Miltia and Melanie? Just as he reported that Roman was missing? That didn't bode well for anyone involved in this mess. And he didn't even know what the 'mess' entailed!

"What the hell is this kid's problem with Roman? Did he kill his family or something? No, the boss' dossier on him mentioned he doesn't remember much of his childhood, and isn't that just twisted?" Junior muttered, pouring himself a drink to think.

"The kid wants a week before phoning it in to the boss. Normally, vacation time doesn't require notification to the boss, but…" Kouzai was the Specter. An underaged operative with a skillset and knowledge that surprised even Lil' Miss Malachite. He placed restrictions on what types of jobs he took, and he wasn't as experienced as some of the more seasoned professionals, but he had unpredictability, drive, and air of faux innocence to make up for it. Whatever he was planning on doing, there was a chance he might die in the attempt. Was losing the Specter worth the risk of respecting the kid's privacy?

Junior sighed, then dialed on his scroll. "Miltia, Melanie, it's me…yes, I know Kouzai just ditched you…yes, I know he-wait, he left money to pay for the meal? Seriously, he needs to break more rules. Anyways, he has some unscheduled business to attend to, it'll likely take him about a week or so…yes, I'm aware of how obviously fake that sounds, but my men will buy it, so that's the story we're sticking with…no, I don't know where he went…no, I don't know what he's planning on doing…alright, now that's just rude. I'll see you both back at the club."

Hanging up, he rubbed a hand across his face. "Yeesh, they've gotten attached to the kid quick. Maybe that's what the boss was-nope, not thinking about it right now." Dialing another number, his call went through in seconds. "It's me. I need you and a couple men to pull back from the patrols for now. Head on over to the Specter's place, I need you guys to search around…yes, I know he'll probably be pissed…huh, he might _actually_ have the place trapped, come to think of it…just be careful and try not to die. I'll deal with the aftermath in any case."

He hung up and gulped down his drink. "I'll give you your privacy from the boss, Kouzai, but I'm going to need _some_ form of reassurance and insurance here. I _am_ an information dealer, after all."

**A/N: After careful consideration, I'll be pausing omakes until the Countdown Arc is over, since this year works better without adding in the other Kouzai viewpoints. Yeah, this chapter's a bit short this week without an omake, but hopefully the next chapter helps make up for it. All I'll say on that front is the countdown is coming, both in and out of the story.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 12/02/19**


	19. Chapter 16: Where Angels Fear to Tread

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Wheeze…I made it. Two chapters by the weekly deadline. Not a lot to say here that wasn't mentioned last chapter, but I'll thank the readership again for sticking with me thus far, and hope that holds true until my return after finals. Until then, enjoy the next bit of Year 5.**

**Chapter 16: Where Angels Fear to Tread**

**Chapter Date: 12/02/19**

'No, nonono! _Run faster_, damnit!'

I was covering ground as fast as I could, but this far out from Vale, the only feasible method of transportation was my own two feet, lest any vehicle that I borrowed from Junior encounter unwanted attention. Considering that I'd changed into my Specter attire to disguise my identity, anonymity was vitally important at this stage. I may have only been a day or so behind Roman, but with those odds, that was all that was needed.

'What the hell happened to cause this? Sure, having Roman and Neo along to take Amber down would make things safer for Cinder and her crew in the moment, but they didn't _need_ either of them in canon. Considering Roman's penchant to just absorb information like a sponge and plan off it, why involve him in the ambush if…Qrow. Aw, Grimmshit!'

Things were slotting into place, in the worst possible way. 'I spoke to Qrow about his semblance…without his worry about its effects, he must've stuck closer to Amber. With the threat of both of them, no way Cinder, Mercury and Emerald alone could take them. Can they do it with Roman and Neo though?'

It was a good question, and that made things all the scarier. Needing every second possible to formulate a plan, I kept my eyes open and let the world slow around me. With the distance I had to travel to get to the ambush point, I'd be dealing with the mental perception of being awake for _days_. With that kind of fatigue, what would I be able to do once I arrived? What would I come to?

… … …

"But Qroooooooow! We're almost through the whole region! Can't we just clear these last few villages, and then go back to Beacon?"

"C'mon, Amber. You know the drill. We have to check in with Oz at least twice a year, and the deadline's nearly up. Besides, you'll still have plenty of time to check out the rest of the kingdom once we're done."

"Yeah, and only the kingdom," Amber grumbled, gripping the reins of her horse. "Not a toe into Vacuo, or else I'll probably blow up by divine intervention or something."

Qrow winced. "Look, I get this isn't ideal, but Vacuo in particular has got some shady things happening behind the scenes. Stories say a lotta people with unique and powerful semblances have been disappearing to who knows where. Last thing we need is for someone to get ahold of you and find out what they're dealing with."

"Let them. I'm the Fall Maiden after all, I might as well bring to bear the power that comes with that title occasionally," Amber replied hotly. "And that kind of reasoning goes for the other kingdoms too. With Mistral, it's the disappearing Huntsmen. With Atlas, the White Fang. You can find problems with any kingdom, and that's exactly what Ozpin is doing to keep me trapped within Vale's borders."

"It's not being trapped. Really," Qrow protested weakly at Amber's unamused expression. "Oz just wants to make sure that things cool down in the kingdoms before letting you see the sights elsewhere. He's got his crew across the kingdoms working on it, believe me. In the meantime, it never hurts to shore up your maiden powers for when the time comes."

"And when will things 'cool off', hmm?" Amber bit back. "Unless Ozpin finds a solution to Faunus prejudice, power-hungry criminals or the Grimm, I don't really see any end in sight." Maneuvering the reins, she moved her horse ahead of Qrow's. Letting out a heavy sigh, Qrow reached behind him and pulled out his flask.

They'd had this conversation close to a hundred times by now, at least, the same points going round-and-round in a loop of frustration. Being stuck in a cage, even one as big as a kingdom, stifled. But orders from Oz were ironclad, so they just had to stay the course for now and-

Qrow nearly choked on his pull as he stopped his horse behind Amber's. Up ahead, there was a colorfully dressed girl crouched down on the road, bawling her eyes out. Predictably, Amber dismounted and started making her way over to the girl.

"Hold on a minute," Qrow called out. "Let me do a sweep first, see if we can't find her parents."

"She's just a little girl, Qrow. Have a little heart," Amber rebuked, reaching into her bag for an apple. "I'm just going to calm her down and see if we can find out where she came from or where she was heading."

"Amber, wait," Qrow called out, but Amber continued walking forward. Something about this didn't seem right. Regardless of how peaceful this region was, to have a girl all on her own? Something in his head was tingling…

"Here you go. I hope you're not allergic to apples, because I-oh!" Finding the treat in question, Amber pulled it out of her back, but the fruit slipped from her fingers and sailed forward. "I'm-"

At that moment, with a sound of shattering glass, the apple sailed through the air and landed at the feet of _five_ very stunned strangers in the middle of the road, armed to the teeth.

"DAMNIT!" Qrow swore, and for once in his life thanked his semblance. "Amber, _get back_!"

With a heavy volley of fire from the chick in the red dress, the mint-haired crop top, the grey-haired kid with guns on his _legs_ and _Roman Torchwick_ of all people, it was all Qrow could do to deploy Harbinger and soak up some of the projectiles. "What the hell is all this? Torchwick, are you behind this?"

Before the career criminal could retort, the woman in the red dress piped up. "Oh no, Roman is just the hired help. If you want to know who is responsible for your demise, that would be me."

"Lady, I've fought a lot of people who claimed they'd be my last opponent. To date, I've been _theirs_." Qrow shifted Harbinger to scythe mode, and hefted the blade towards the cadre assembled before him. "I don't know how you knew to find us or what you're after, but this is your last warning. The two of us are more than capable of taking the five of you on. You sure you wanna play this game, Torchwick?"

Torchwick looked whelmed, but the woman in red waved a casual hand. "Now now, little bird. No need to get so defensive. And don't worry about us; I made sure to bring a little extra _insurance_."

"Aahhh!" Qrow watched Amber hit the dirt beside him, her Aura flickering angrily from what must've been a sneak attack. A quick look behind him had his eyes widening at the approaching figures, one who he'd have to be brain-dead not to recognize.

"If you like your odds against five of us," the woman purred, "how about seven?"

Adam _freaking_ Taurus approached from the side as if out of nowhere, though Qrow couldn't figure out for the life of him where he'd come from. Next to him was a masked White Fang member, though dressed differently than the grunts he'd encountered before, meaning she was definitely trained, likely by Taurus himself.

Qrow moved to guard Amber's back as the Fall Maiden grunted in frustration, pushing off the ground to level her staff at the seven figures who began to circle the duo.

"Now, why don't we try this again?" Cinder asked gleefully. "Give us the girl, Qrow, and you might be allowed to escape with your life."

"Over my dead body, bitch," Qrow growled as the smile slid off the seductress' face. Then he felt _it_, and smiled. "You know Ozpin won't let any of you get away with this. I've seen all your faces, so you can bet for sure that you've tossed your lot in with Salem."

"I work only for the betterment of all Faunus, human! And-" Adam paused as Cinder threw arm out to cut him off, her confident smirk returned.

Just a bit more time…

"False bravado, Qrow. Your only chance of reporting information back to Ozpin depends wholly on whether you abandon the girl. So you can either take a loss and attempt to salvage some benefit out of it, or you can remain here and die with nothing to show for it."

A few more seconds…Qrow laid a hand on Amber's shoulder, feeling the poor girl shaking, before looking back at the ensemble before him. "Or…I can show you what a bit of stalling can do. _NOW_!"

Qrow grabbed Amber and dove out of the way, as he heard the telltale sound of Kindred Link. From the portal behind him streaked a blur of red and black towards the woman in the red dress.

CLANG

Raven managed another foot of forward momentum before stopping, glaring at the red-haired Faunus whose red blade halted her own.

"Cinder!" the girl in green called out, before realizing what she'd said and inwardly cursing.

"Quiet!" Cinder called out, before turning to Qrow, a wary look in her eyes now. "So, the Branwen twins stand united on this one issue. I'm surprised that you would be so quick to fall in line with Ozpin again, Raven Branwen. I thought you valued your freedom, and your life, more than that."

"Oh believe me, my life has _quite_ the high premium on it," Raven replied conversationally, before shoving Adam back and stepping back towards Qrow and Amber. "I just believe that having Salem capture another one of Ozpin's pieces would endanger my family's safety, and therefore mine. Don't take me foresight as obedience toward becoming just another piece for Ozpin again."

"Uhh, Rae, can we save the Oz-bashing for _after_ the life-or-death fight?" Qrow questioned.

"Enough posturing. Even the three of you cannot hope to best the seven of us." Qrow and Amber readied their weapons as Cinder and her allies readied theirs. "I'm sorry that your timely intervention amounted to nothing more than-"

"Dangit Raven, you _know_ I can't fly, so why'd you put the portal so far away?" Firm footfalls registered, and a head of light blond hair appeared through the portal. Cracking his knuckles, he turned to survey the battlegrounds, before his playful look turned deadly serious. "This could've been bad for you, Qrow."

"It still is!" Qrow growled in reply. "The hell are you doing here, Tai? I only asked for Raven to back me up if she sensed I needed help. The girls need you-"

"And they sure as hell need you too. Both of you," Taiyang shot back as he walked towards Qrow, Raven and Amber. The rest of Cinder's allies had backed up a more or less single line, looking with varying levels of anger, fear, astonishment, and frustration. "Plus, Raven said that me showing up lessens the amount to which you owe her."

"And believe me, brother, you do not want that number to go any higher than it already is." Raven brandished Omen as she gave her seven opponents a calculating once-over.

"Yeah, well, you'll need me alive if you ever wanna see that debt settled," Qrow replied, his body feeling more at ease than it'd been in over a decade, despite how tense the situation was.

"No more games, no more _interruptions_. You all die _NOW_!"

… … …

"Haaah…haaah…think I'm close now…" I panted, making my way through the forest. My research of Vale's geography had pulled through, thankfully, because the surroundings seemed familiar. Now I just needed…'There!'

Faint gunfire in the distance zeroed me in on the proper direction. As a fresh round of adrenaline dumped into my veins, I rocketed past the trees as the delayed sounds of battle become louder. Through the thicket I caught flashes of dust, which was a good indication of serious battle going on. 'Please, _please_ let me make it…'

I broke through the treeline atop a hill, and the sounds of battle carried up towards my position. More important than the sounds however, I now had an unobstructed view of the fights going on below.

Fights that had my jaw dropping.

'How…why…when…what did I do?'

… … …

Adam Taurus. A formidable foe.

CLANG

She needed to give this fight her utmost focus and thrash the swordsman, but she _had to do it normally_. With so many factions present, least of which being Salem's and Ozpin's, she _could not_ afford to reveal her Maiden powers.

TSING

Not to this Cinder, not to Qrow, not even to Tai. Not yet.

CRACK

Adam flew back and flipped onto his feet, inspecting his weapon for any signs of damage. Nearly twenty yards away, Raven stood looking at the shattered red blade of Omen. Ejecting the remains, Raven unsheathed a Yellow Dust blade as its replacement.

"Raven Branwen, the Bandit Queen of Anima. Or so they used to call you. Recently, it appears tales of your fearsomeness have faded." Adam got into an iaido stance, almost exactly like hers. "I wonder if your skills truly have dulled or not."

"Believe me, Adam Taurus, I have been cutting through bodies before you were born, and will do so long after you've died." Raven grasped Omen with both hands and lowered her body. "The White Fang and their kind hold no candle to me or mine."

BOOM

Taurus' blade shot out from its sheath, and Raven blocked its hilt with the flat of Omen. As the chokuto spun around in the air, a powerful kick off Omen gave Adam the leverage he needed to snatch his weapon and slice down. Omen's superior range met the bull Faunus' charge and swept him to the side, and he landed snarling.

"We shall see, human."

… … …

"Amber, hang on! I'm-shit!" Qrow blocked a kick from the silver-haired wannabe breakdancer, then pivoted as the brat's foot fired multiple shots out of the heel. Where the hell did he get that kinda- "ARGH!"

Qrow staggered as he felt a blade slice across his back, his Aura shimmering. Turning around, he caught no sight of his attacker, all the others occupied by either Raven, Tai or Amber. The silver-hair was smirking though.

Illusions? It'd explain how he and Amber were caught off-guard by Cinder and her crew, and the little green-haired girl was missing from the bunch. But they could be broken.

The kicker charged forward again, and Qrow weaved in and out of the brat's attack pattern. Side kick, high kick, axe kick, backwards, front, low, side.

"Jeez brat, you need to _back off_," Qrow growled with two forceful swings of Harbinger. The first to force the kicker to the side, and the second to cleave all around him. The brat jumped back, and Qrow swung in a circle, feeling for any resistance or impact, either from a person or an illusion. Nothing revealed itself, so Qrow rechambered his stance.

"Give it up old man. You're all clearly outnumbered," the silver-hair sneered.

Despite the situation, Qrow couldn't help smirking. "Heh, that's cute brat. But you should know…you're clearly outmatched."

"_As if_!" The kicker dashed back into Qrow's range, and Harbinger warded him off.

BANG

A slice with Harbinger cut through a bullet, fired from nowhere.

"The hell? Physical interaction would've shattered the illusions before, so what's different about a bullet?" Qrow wondered, going into his death spin routine with Harbinger. The kicking brat couldn't get close enough with the difference in range, and the green-haired brat couldn't get in range either without shattering her illusion. The problem was, he was stalemated till he found a way past these two.

And how long could Amber hold out?

… … …

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH-WHOOSH

"Alright girls, there's no need for violence. If you could allow me to pass-"

TSK TSK TSK

"Okay, guess not…" Taiyang stood across from two of the seven ambushers, both of whom looked young enough to be his students. One was the near completely-silent girl whose theme resembled Neapolitan ice cream, and the other was the White Fang ally of Adam Taurus, given the mask and furiously twitching feline ears atop her head.

"Look, I really would rather avoid having to hurt you two, considering you look to be around my oldest daughter's age. Can't we all agree that ambushing an innocent young woman and her bodyguard is slightly overkill, and against what the White Fang stands for? I mean, she clearly isn't part of the SDC, and isn't traveling around the open countryside of Vale for protection." The White Fang girl paused in her assault, her chain sickle-firearm weapon hanging down by her feet. The other girl, though…

TSK TSK

"Look, I'm sorry if I said something to upset you, but your expression is kind of unsettling me a little," Taiyang added, glancing away from his diminutive opponent's parasol at her bloodthirsty expression. "Could you at least mention who you're here with?"

The girl didn't reply, at least verbally, but an involuntary glance behind him had Tai sneaking a peek at another one of the fights, at…Roman. That meant there were at least three separate groups allying to ambush Amber for her Maiden powers, and potentially two groups besides Salem's that might know about the existence of the Maidens. For those groups to be Roman Torchwick and the White Fang…

Taiyang took a moment to glance at the other fights. Raven was facing Adam Taurus alone, and seemed to have the edge over him. Meanwhile, Qrow was in his continuous death spiral routine with Harbinger and fending off the silver-haired striker and green-haired kama user. Considering Raven's towards facing children in fights, he wasn't confident in giving her the reins against the two girls to fight Adam Taurus. And Qrow's skillset was perfect for facing off against a melee opponent and a shooter. Meaning the only person he could exchange opponents with…

Taiyang rushed towards Amber, but ran into something that shattered like glass, revealing the cat Faunus' chain weapon heading for his face. Deflecting it with a backhand, Taiyang whirled around to see that Amber and her two opponents were on the opposite side of where he'd been looking. Meanwhile, his ice cream-themed adversary stood directly between them and him.

"Illusions…I don't suppose that's your semblance?" Taiyang asked, receiving a gleeful nod from the girl. "And I don't suppose you'll let me get to Cinder or Roman?" A vigorous head shake.

Taiyang sighed, lowering his head and rubbing his hair. "Hah…I really didn't want to do this, but there are lives at stake here." There was a soft shimmering around the man, like roiling heat waves were dispersing from him. A warm yet intense yellow glow of Aura appeared on Taiyang's skin, and he took a serious stance.

"_If asking won't work, I'll have to make you move._"

… … …

"RRR, stand _still_!" Amber fired off another blast of fire from her staff, but Cinder leaped over the blaze and launched another wave of glass spikes at her. Twisting around, she sent a gust of wind across the field to repel the projectiles, but had to stop when Roman Torchwick closed in.

Left-right-left, top-bottom-thrust, twist and sweep. Both staff users engaged in a furious exchange of strikes and blocks, but Amber had the advantage in weapon length and having both ends capable of shooting Dust blasts. Shoving the Fire Dust end towards Roman's chest, Amber fired a blast off to drive the man back.

THHK

Amber looked down to see an arrow stuck in the dirt, right before it erupted in a fiery blast, sending her onto her back. Scrambling to her feet, she glared at a smirking Cinder, who separated her bow back into swords as Roman stepped parallel to her, coat ruffled and looking irritated. Well, that made two of them.

Concentrating, she channeled her Maiden powers to rise off the ground, before waving a hand at the nearby trees. Keeping her eyes on Roman and Cinder, she raised her other hand to block Roman's flare shots and Cinder's arrows. Bringing one arm high above her head, she felt tens of thousands of leaves congregate high in the air, before freezing solid in the chilled air she'd created up above. Swinging her arm down, she watched the leaves descend towards the battlefield, and bore witness to the havoc it caused.

Raven and Adam paused in their deadlock to watch the deadly leaf fall, before mutually springing back. Both sword users twirled their blades around to block the leaves, but Raven's longer sword length made it more difficult to shred the projectiles, allowing some through to cut against her Aura. Meanwhile, Adam Taurus was able to deflect nearly all the leaves, and bared a smile as his blade began glowing red.

Qrow saw Amber's attack coming almost immediately, and whirled his scythe above his head to cut through the leaves. His opponents both leaped back in an attempt to avoid the plant-based hail, but both were cut numerous times within the attack's wide area. However, the attack revealed the silver-haired kicker's robotic prosthetics that he used to hide from the projectiles, and fired off a couple dust blasts that caught Qrow unawares, hitting him in the gut.

A sound of shattering glass originating from Taiyang's side of the battlefield, the razor-sharp leaves sliced down upon the man and his two opponents. Taiyang merely braced himself upright, as soft heat waves around him softened the frozen leaves before hitting his body. His two female opponents appeared to be much more agile, flipping and twisting to actually avoid most of the leaves while using their weapons to block much of the difference.

A swarm of glass shards broke through her Aura barrier while she wasn't looking, hitting her side as she plummeted to the ground, rolled back upright and glared angrily at a coldly furious Cinder and shaken Roman.

"To be so distracted by the extent of your power…" Cinder smirked despite her narrowed eyes. "My, did the monster delude herself into thinking that she was normal? That she could avoid hurting those around her?"

Raw magic flared around Amber's eyes as she rose back up into the air, teeth gritted. An arm raised itself once again, but this time it was not the trees that responded, but the clouds.

"RRAAAAH!"

… … …

"Holy…is it over?" I loosened my vice grip on Mirror's Edge, both blades buried deep into the ground and into a nearby tree. After watching Amber levitate off the ground and raise her arm into the air, I knew what was coming next and had buried my blades in order to stay grounded. As it was, the whirlwind affecting the trees had nearly sent me airborne, which would've revealed my presence to all _eleven_ combatants on the battlefield, each a dangerous individual to expose myself to.

'Gods, what the hell happened? Amber, Qrow, Raven and Tai against Cinder, Mercury, Emerald, Roman, Neo, Adam and Blake? Why did Cinder bring along Roman _and_ the White Fang, when she didn't bring either faction the first time? For Qrow? It would've worked, but the White Fang refused to help in canon, and Cinder wouldn't have trusted Roman to help in such an important part of the plan. What did she promise to Adam and Roman, and what did she give up in exchange for their help? Not to mention Raven showing up, and even bringing Tai. If all three left in Team STRQ die, Ruby and Yang will be alone, damnit! But at least with the three of them and Amber, that should be enough even against those seven, right?' I watched as Amber took to the skies again, her arm raised as the skies moved to her beck and call. 'Ohh damnit!'

I dove for cover, reached for my back holster and for my pouches. As I pulled out my own contingency plan, the thought occurred to me; after seeing the matchups, and witnessing the indiscriminate destruction Amber's use of the Maiden powers could cause, I was no longer sure of Team STRQ's victory.

… … …

The heavens themselves roared under the girl Amber's will, and Adam swore to get the information regarding her power from Cinder after this conflict was resolved. First, however, a more pressing matter occupied his attention.

Raven Branwen. A swordswoman likely without equal on Remnant. He was not ashamed to say that the raw strength, sheer speed and polish of the Bandit Queen's techniques were better than his. Had they both been fighting one another to the death, he would've surely perished by her blade.

Had they both been fighting _to the death_. For whatever reason, doubt clouded his opponent's mind, and it showed in her actions. Her strikes were more reserved, footwork more passive, techniques more conservative. The lethal intent was still intact, but without the force necessary to execute the will, Adam Taurus would not be cut down by such half-hearted swordsmanship. And so, although he was not strong enough to best Raven Branwen, he in turn would not be bested.

And he was content with that. As part of Cinder Fall's insurance to secure this Amber away from her protectors, he was content to hold off what was likely the strongest of them alone, and gather information on his temporary employer's goals.

The planned destruction of an SDC cargo train would be recouped by equivalent Dust and weaponry, albeit supplied by the odious Roman Torchwick. The Faunus cause would be furthered, and the SDC would still suffer from a shortage of dust thanks to copious robberies performed by Torchwick.

Now that he was present on the battlefield though, he was reconsidering bringing Blake along. Initially considering the mission a more private affair to relight Blake's passion towards the White Fang's cause, he now saw that the allies and enemies he had carried her towards could prove deadly to Blake's safety. So long as she had the ability to run, however, Adam knew Blake would be able to avoid the attacks by her more merciful opponent. Which brought him back to his own.

He should be glad that Raven Branwen wasn't willing to take that extra step to reach the girl Amber. A deadlock between the two of them benefitted him more than it did her. But perhaps it was his desire to safeguard Blake. Perhaps it was the energy he'd absorbed for Moonslice. Maybe it was even the affront to his pride as a swordsman. Whatever the case was, as flashes of lightning tore across the darkened sky, his body and clothing lit up with its own glow.

And the world within his view began to descend into red.

… … …

KRAKOOOOOOM

Emerald flinched as lightning struck the ground not a hundred yards from where she stood. The only reason it wasn't closer was because all that destructive energy was aimed at that creep Roman and Cinder.

Roman could burn for all she cared, but if Cinder got hit…

"FIGHT ME SERIOUSLY, YOU COWARD!" The roar had her turning away for a moment to look at the _glowing_ Adam Taurus, his blade, hair, and even coat and mask red markings lighting up with stored energy. Facing him was an impassive, yet apprehensive Raven Branwen.

"Emerald, _focus_! This old bastard's _this_ close to getting one over on us!" Mercury backflipped to avoid a slash from Qrow's scythe, firing a couple rounds from Talaria to get some more distance and force Qrow to defend.

Emerald shook off her hesitation, and quickly approached the old Huntsman, his back turned to face the incoming mass of Mercury's projectile twister. Conjuring up an illusion to camouflage herself just in case, he switched Thief's Respite to her sickle form and closed in.

CRUNCH-SNAP

Emerald gasped as she stepped on a group of intact frozen leaves, ones that shattered loudly even under her light footfalls. Realizing her mistake, Emerald rushed to make her attack, but it was too late.

A lightning fast reverse-slice with the weapon's heel swung her in the path of Mercury's last few Dust blasts, slamming into her. In her pain, her concentration slipped, and cost her as a wiry hand grasped her throat.

"Sooo, this' where you've been hiding…" Qrow Branwen drawled, getting a close look at Emerald's face as he squeezed her windpipe. "Seems like you've got a different kind of illusion than the one at the beginning of your little ambush. I wonder why that is?"

Emerald clawed and kicked for breath, even created illusions to trick Qrow into thinking he wasn't holding her anymore, but his grip remained ironclad.

"Nice try, kid, but I've tangled with illusion users before. Just making me _think_ I've let you go ain't gonna make that happen." Qrow paused to whip his scythe around and knock Mercury away one-handed. "Now, I'm normally against giving brats like you two such rough treatment, but it's kind of an emergency." Against her best efforts, Emerald's vision began to darken.

"_So take a nap. I'll be sure to send your little friend your way too_."

… … …

A monster. There was no other way to describe the beast in front of Neo.

No melee weapons. No ranged weapons. Nothing substantial to call armor. The man she faced at the moment had nothing to bring to the table but his body, mind and will.

And he was terrifying with those resources.

His raw power made direct hits a detriment to continued survival. His speed had her balking and scrambling to avoid those hits. His endurance seemed limitless, and he shrugged off what strikes Neo was able to capitalize on. But what made him truly monstrous was his technique, his fluidity. Although not as flexible or agile as Neo, his grace was apparent and a marvel all its own. His attacks never ceased, and offense switched to defense switched to offense beyond seamlessly.

Lightning flashed again, further illuminating the yellow glow that highlighted the monster's form, and emphasizing the heat waves that still rolled off his body into the air surrounding him.

All fighters had that switch they could flip, where they cashed in some of their strategy in exchange for greater strength, speed and durability. The raging bull Faunus facing down the also-terrifying Raven Branwen was one such example. But the cargo shorts-wearing fighter engaging her now appeared to have forgone flipping that switch. Meaning that all the strength, speed and durability he'd brought to bear was his own, _and he was fully in control of it_.

He hadn't said a word since re-engaging Neo and her temporary ally, but Neo could tell every ounce of his focus was on the two of them.

A monster of a fighter. A martial artist beyond any other Neo had encountered.

The other fights slipped away from her purview. The timid White Fang girl ceased to exist. Even Roman, ever-present in her thoughts, took a backseat, along with his warning to watch whatever happened to the Amber girl.

There was only now, only this fight. Monster against Monster. And she would be the one to draw first blood.

… … …

KRAKOOOOOOM

"Uhh, Cinder? Any-" BOOOOM "-bright ideas?" Roman hung onto his hat and dove to avoid a targeted lightning blast, before firing multiple rounds at Amber. Seeing them harmlessly impact against an Aura barrier, he turned towards his current employer. 'Current' meaning until he either completed his job and she killed him, or he failed and she killed him.

Not much incentive to work beyond prolonging his life, but then again, that was all that was needed.

"Take the job, I said. The pay's spectacular, I said. What could go wrong, I said. If we make it out of this mess, I'm taking Neo to Mistral and retiring there. Let Neo handle the planning." Roman stopped for a second, and nearly got fried by another lightning strike. "No no, we'd get kicked out within a week from Neo eating all of Anima's ice cream."

"Roman, if you're done _muttering to yourself_, we have _work to do_!" Cinder shouted above the gale and sounds of thunder. "We need to get close to her and circle her!"

"I'm sorry Cindy, but it sounds like you just said to get _closer to the walking natural disaster_!" Roman snarked, gesturing at the metaphorical witch hovering in the air. Seriously, he'd seen _Glynda Goodwitch_ in action, and even she was beneath this chick!

"You heard my order, now follow it!" Cinder yelled, and Roman's admittedly shallow well of patience ran dry.

"I'm not following jack, not when it'll get me killed!" Roman roared. "If you wanna off yourself that badly, be my guest, but I'm not sticking around to be another statistic!"

"Leave now, and I'll ensure you _will be_." Cinder's eerily calm voice stopped Roman in the midst of turning his back, before more continued lightning roused their attention. "There is a certain range where she cannot call lightning down, lest she risk electrocuting herself. Circle her closely, and the abundance of superheated ground from her own attacks will become ample fuel for my own, one that Amber will be unable to block."

Still in motion, Roman remained silent as he raced through possible variables, before sighing. Turning back, he tilted his bowler hat. "If we live through this, mine and Neo's cuts are going up threefold, and we're getting some answers outta this whole fiasco."

Cinder glared at Roman, before curtly nodding. "Fulfill your end of the deal, and you will have earned those modifications."

"Good enough for me!" Roman followed Cinder as the two dodged strike after strike, closing to within a few feet of the floating girl. Around and around the two circled, until the ground under his feet crackled with residual heat. "Alright Cindy, I'm pretty sure that's enough-GAAAAH!"

An omnidirectional burst of wind exploded down and outwards from above, pushing Cinder and Roman to opposite sides of Amber. The wind continuing, it took everything Roman had to remain upright while staying this close, and he saw that Cinder was in a similar spot. "Gotta move before-AAAAAAGGGHH!"

Raw electricity pierced down, and Roman powered his Aura into his Aura shield to stay alive. "CINDER!"

Through eyes open by a slit in the blinding light and pain, a massive ring of red and orange appeared as thousands of glass shards formed, before shooting upwards. A thick Aura barrier attempted to repel them all, but the sheer number was too much as Amber hit the ground and the lightning ceased.

"ROMAN!" The gentleman thief jerked his head up to see Cinder, sooty and literally smoking like he was, struggling to aim her bow with three arrows nocked. Between Cinder and himself was Amber struggling to her feet and about to flee.

"Sorry about this kid." Roman aimed Melodic Cudgel, and the hook of his cane shot out and grabbed the girl's corset as she made to flee. His weapon's mechanized hook strained against Amber's prodigious strength, but before the deadlock could break three arrows hit the ground.

BO-BO-BOOOOOOM

Fiery earth became scorched, and Amber went flying to the side, orange Aura dispersing as it shattered.

"Alright, what's-hah-the plan now?" Roman gasped, leaning on Melodic Cudgel.

"_You_, are to bind and hold her. I," Cinder replied, pulling a pristine white glove from a pouch, "have something to obtain."

… … …

"No…no No NO!" I jammed the magazine into Corona as I stared down in horror. Raven locked down by an empowered Adam. Qrow desperately trying to finish off Mercury and Emerald in time. Taiyang doing his best to hunt down Neo and Blake. And Amber defeated, broken on the ground. All unfolding over a half-mile away.

This wasn't as bad as the events of canon. This could end up far, _far _worse…

'And all because I wasn't smart enough to account for the changes! DAMNIT!' I lowered the light filter in my Specter mask to transparent and flooded my eyes with Aura for Chronometry. 'I can make this shot! _I have to make this shot_!'

I wouldn't allow Cinder and the rest to triumph in this battle. I _wouldn't_ let Amber die. I _**wouldn't**_ let the rest of Team STRQ and all that's left of Ruby and Yang's family to die here. I. _**WOULDN'T**_.

My eyes burned as Chronometry was set to full power, the world moving sluggishly around me. But after having kept my eyes open for over a day after keeping them closed for nearly a year, my eyesight was fading from going straight into overuse after prolonged lack of use. 'But I've got enough…for this…'

I gripped Corona, feeling the gun and its modifications weighing on my hand. New adamantium parts to reinforce its structure, along with two conductive rails added to the sides. Custom-made bullets with a smaller slug carefully placed into a shell of cut Lightning Dust. An orichalcum grip to increase the connectivity between Corona and the attachment holding Luna under the barrel. Dust, magnetism, and two passive semblances. With all elements being Aura-reinforced, this was a hitherto unknown weapon, and one that I hadn't had the time, or mettle, to test until now.

With magnified vision, I saw Roman bind Amber with Melodic Cudgel, just as I saw Cinder slip on the glove. I raised Corona, ready to take the shot…

The shot? To distract her? Stop her? Beat her? Cripple her? _Kill her_? In all my time as the Specter and with Nora and Ren, I'd avoided ending a life by my direct actions. With Corona modified as it was, I couldn't guarantee that would remain true.

Was I ready and willing to take a life? Even one such as Cinder's?

I looked down at the battlefield and flinched as Cinder was nearly in front of Amber.

'NO…I DID NOT SPEND _FIVE YEARS SURVIVING ON REMNANT JUST TO LET THINGS GO OFF THE RAILS HERE! I DON'T CARE WHAT I HAVE TO DO __**TO KEEP THIS WORLD SAFE! IF I HAVE TO DARKEN MY SOUL BY TAKING A LIFE, SO BE IT!'**_

Cinder stopped in front of Amber, and raised her arm.

Eyes searing, soul raging, Aura pulsing, my arm raised in turn, and I pulled the trigger.

… … …

"Goodbye Amber," Cinder smirked, feeling the essence of Grimm stir to life.

A flash of blinding light, swift and terrible.

"WHAT?!" Cinder jumped back, but a bleeding arm pulled her back.

"Too bad." Amber smirked, closing her eyes and tightening her grip.

_**BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM**_

…

…

…

…_**drip…drip…drip…**_

**A/N: I know, I'm an asshole for cutting it there, but the pacing ended up working better if the next parts are left for the next chapter. Rest assured, if you've got a bone to pick with me for the chapters or my writing in general, I'll still be spending a bit of time looking at PM's and reviews. That also goes for those who may not wish me ill. In any case, good luck to those with finals, and hang in there for those working up until the week of Christmas. We can do this.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 12/23/19**


	20. Chapter 17: All's Well

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: I'm BAAAAAACCCK! Finals sucked, let that be known. Anyways, I hope the wait hasn't been too long, though I can see that some new readers and reviews came in while I was attempting to cram four libraries of school notes into my head. Somehow this fic shot right past 200 followers while I wasn't looking, so thanks to the followers and fans out there for that! Whatever the case is, A Cosmic Journey is back, and with the last chapter of the Countdown Arc as well! This one clocks in at over 12,000 words too, with quite a lot that I wanted to pack in from my absence. As a note before getting to the reviews, I will have one more update before the year's out on December 30, which will mark at the official start to canon! *Sob*, I never thought I'd get here, but according to some of my readers, I got here too fast. All I can say to that is…keep your eyes peeled, and stay tuned. Now for the truckload of reviews.**

**AlexFalton: In return for being a cliffhanger asshole, this chapter is extra-long this time. And worry not, all plans will be revealed in time, unless the readers see something that I haven't thought of yet, haha. As for the big fight, I'm glad to hear that it was at least interesting. In my personal opinion, a straight sword fight between Raven and Adam would end in a handy victory for Raven nearly every time, and that's not throwing semblances and Maiden powers into the mix. As for your theory of the fight's conclusion? Well…**

**Raidentensho: Yup, the divergence from canon is definitely going to have effects, the likes of which will be coming up fast. In terms of any conversations with Ozpin, that's an intellectual chessmaster headache just waiting to happen. And your idea about eye colors is interesting, but I think keeping the effects of Chronometry grounded in a specific set of abilities is easier to explain within the realm of semblances for Remnant. **

**SoSlimShady: A strongly worded opinion, but not necessarily a wrong one. Kouzai definitely has his flaws, the least of which being that he's been dropped into an unfamiliar and hostile world. As for his reluctance for killing, he hasn't had to take a life before, and that line gives even one like him pause. He's both reluctant to throw himself into the dark of the deep end, and reluctant to just let the events of canon run their course in the pain and horror that comes to Vale and Remnant.**

**ProfessorGoblitz: The appearance of Cinder's faction, Roman and Neo, and Adam and Blake may appear to be too convenient to be true. However, the course of events in canon hold that Blake left during the train heist, which came after Cinder's first visit to the White Fang. If per chance that Cinder happened to gather additional forces to ambush Amber, and this happened even a week or so earlier than canon? That's where the fun of writing starts to come in.**

**Gabe2000: Cliffhangers also share that special place in my heart for love/hate. And it's twofold because I both love/hate them as both a writer and a reader.**

**PyromaniacRabbit: Kouzai might consider himself as being adaptable to new circumstances, but really, he's an overly meticulous planner about scenarios and variables. It's a theme that's shown up in the repeated instances where he's been caught off-guard by things he hadn't planned for, and subsequently went downhill for him. That, paired with his belief that he's still good because he has standards and a code, can lead to some blind spots as far as his willingness to perform certain acts is concerned. He thought that he could get away with just keeping the maiden powers out of Cinder's hands and had a plan for that, but to come upon such a monumental clusterfuck that requires a snap decision? You'd best believe that the wheels are spinning as fast as they can go. As for the usage of his eyes, the persistence with going without his sight since his semblance became passive is both to try to control its effect, and to experiment with finer Aura control in things like Aura sensing. The idea that not using your eyes for a long period of time could lead to the inability to keep them open for a while without strain is something that flew over his head while thinking of the potential benefits.**

**Explosives Guest: I'm not sure how wealthy or intelligent you may believe Kouzai to be, but an artillery battery is slightly beyond his pay grade and range of science experimentation. Now to mention he'd throw his back out just trying to move the damn thing.**

**Guest (Adis): I'll admit that the existence of the three chapter 2's at the beginning of the fic may confuse some, and the Omakes of the other viewpoints probably don't help, but I think that's part of what gives the fic its quirk, and lets me tap into a part of what had me considering those other viewpoints when first writing this fic.**

**Guest (Henkalv): Quite a lot you've put down for review, and I thank you for such a thought out consideration of my writing. The main force behind the Countdown Arc and the start of this fic in general were the close interactions with specific characters, and the selection of Nora and Ren is one that I don't regret for a second. As for character development, that is definitely something that's getting its day once canon starts to come along, so there's that to look forward to. As for Corona, I confess that understanding the science and theory behind putting it together was about the limit of my scientific prowess, so I'd imagine that it's not something the average person thinks of. You are most definitely correct though that the drawbacks also contribute to that, and that he is not the first person to have thought of the idea.**

**Your constructive criticisms are noted and well-received. The bolded text is something that I've occasionally wavered back and forth with at times, but it's not something that I've applied too often, or at least I don't think I have. Your analogy on it though is intriguing however, so I'll likely look at my writing from that angle to see if it is immersion-breaking. In terms of Kouzai's association with Lil' Miss Malachite, Kouzai considers entities like Ozpin and Salem to be the moral extremes of the chessmaster spectrum, and would avoid them like the plague. This is out of deference to the sheer experience they have and the alien thought processes they possess at times. Someone like Lil' Miss, on the other hand, is definitely manipulative, but is also predictable in the sense of having definable and human goals. Wealth, influence, and creature comforts? Totally fine. The desire to desire all life on Remnant, or the goal of indefinitely stemming the apocalypse for all eternity? Yeah, that's not something that he can relate to.**

**Now, for the pacing of the story. I'll admit that fitting five years of plot progression into fifteen chapters might be considered a bit quick, all things considered. On the other hand though, I'm not sure how long I and other readers, but especially I, could wait to get to canon. There's just so much to unpack once Beacon gets started that I couldn't help but want to move things along briskly, though hopefully not at the cost of proper development in terms of narrative and the characters. Once Beacon arrives though, you can have faith that my ass is throwing in some fluff, training and just general zany shenanigans that seem par for the course at Beacon. And Kouzai's encounters with characters of RWBY may be considered as too common for the size of Remnant, but trust that I've got a plan. Or at least, I think I have one. But really, thanks for the review, and I'm honored that you consider this fic the best RWBY SI you've read thus far. I hope to make the writing worthy of such a title.**

**Gizmo Gear: Good to hear from you again, though I have to say that you picked one hell of a time to catch up. Your response is pretty much what I'd expect for someone who read through the last few chapters especially.**

Chapter 17: All's Well

Chapter Date: 12/23/19

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

My eyes flew open and I jackknifed to a sitting position, only realizing I'd been on my back when the pain of searing ribs caught up to me. 'Sonofa…what the hell happened?'

I struggled torturously slow to my feet, looking around at the trees around me as my eyes burned from strain. 'Wait…how'd I end up back in the forest?'

A pivot answered my question, as a large furrow in the ground trailed from the small cliff I'd been standing at. A furrow that continued past the crumpled remains of a sizable tree…

'That answers what happened to my ribs…damnit, I should've braced myself first, but I was short on time…wait, the fight!' The fact of the scream recaptured my attention, and I dragged myself back towards the Cliffside, preparing for whatever I might find.

… … …

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Cinder writhed upon the ground, clutching at her left arm, or the charred stump that remained. A few yards away, Amber laid still on her back, her right arm in a similar state. Between them, a large patch of superheated ground smoked and crackled.

Qrow was the first to recover, chucking Emerald into Mercury as he dashed towards Amber's side. "No nonono NO, c'mon Amber! WAKE UP!" Kneeling over the Maiden, he forwent manners and pressed one hand on her chest with his ear tilted towards Amber's face, his other hand grasping her remaining hand and wrist.

Emerald unceremoniously leapt off Mercury and took a similar position by Cinder. "Cinder, are you ok?! Tell me you're alright!" A proffered hand was slapped away by a seething Cinder, as one pained amber eye glared at Emerald, the other fully dilated and unfocused.

"Who…fired…that…SHOT?" Emerald tore her eyes away from Cinder as she glanced at the crater beside her. She'd seen the blast, everyone did, but there was no time to move. As she trailed her eyes back to the treeline, her breath caught.

A full-length black robe, complete with black gloves and boots. The hood of the robe shadowed the blank white mask covering the individual's face, the mask devoid of any markings whatsoever. The eyeholes, difficult to see at this distance, were darkened, but an unmistakable hint of red glowed through. With those exact colors…it looked like…

"A Grimm…"

"Uhh, Boss, that wouldn't be…" Mercury trailed off as he gazed slack-jawed at the figure.

"What the absolute hell is _He_ doing here? This is the middle of nowhere, in _Vale_…" Roman whispered, eyes narrowed. However, both men were drowned out by a roar.

"The SPECTER?! HERE!" Adam's shout seemed to rattle everyone back into action, including the still figure of the Specter. With a whirl, the Specter turned and fled into the forest. "GET BACK HERE, COWARD! I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN!"

The bull Faunus charged towards the trees, but a cane at chest-height blocked his path. "Hate to burst your bubble, Broody, but we've still got a job to finish. Ditch the group now, and all that dust you were promised for your merry band of animals goes poof."

"Like hell you're finishing anything," Qrow snarled, his relieved face turning murderous, one hand now clutching Harbinger. "Make another move towards us, take another step, and I'll CUT. YOU. _DOWN_." Raven and Taiyang guarded the Maiden's unprotected sides, both sporting glares of equal fury to Qrow's.

"You seem to be mistaken," Roman replied cheerfully. "I'm trying to cut my losses and get out of here, our newly-made cripple in tow. I'd imagine that sounds agreeable to the three of you?"

"What? NO! That power is _mine_, and I will CLAIM IT! There are only three remaining, so slaughter them and-" Cinder's outburst stopped suddenly, owing to a parasol handle clocking her in the jaw and sending her head into a limp fall before Emerald caught and cradled the unconscious woman.

"HOW DARE YOU! I'M GOING TO-" Thief's Respite was blocked off by a gloved hand as Mercury stood between Emerald and Neo.

"Em, stop. Torchwick's right, as much as I hate to admit it. Cinder's down, you and I were going to lose our fight to that drunk, Adam probably would've lost to Branwen, and I _really_ wouldn't want to pit Neo against that absolute monster over there." A gestured hand over to Taiyang, who still gave off roiling heat waves, showed his laser-sharp focus on the remaining combatants.

"That may be the first thing you and I have ever agreed on, kid," Roman added cheekily, before turning back to Adam. "So how about it, Bull-boy? Make sure we, and by that I mean I, get back scot-free, and you'll have more Dust crystals, vials, and rounds than you know what do with."

Adam glared at Roman, seeming to bore through and behind him, before nodding slowly. Qrow, on the other hand, was not amused.

"If you think I'll just let you all walk outta here-"

"That's exactly what's going to happen, Qrow, because it's what needs to happen."

"Rae…"

"Dear old sis is right, Branwen," Roman replied. "We're both down a man, but you're down your biggest gun. Meanwhile, if you wanna fight, all we've gotta do is take out the girl, and that's a successful job. Considering that both sides have a vested interest in staying alive, or keeping someone on our side alive, this is the best deal either of us are going to get."

Smug green stared off with livid red, before Qrow broke off first. "Raven, cut us a portal back to Patch. I need to get Amber to Oz as soon as possible."

"Bold of you to order me around, Brother." Omen sliced downwards, and a thrumming portal opening up as Qrow collected Amber in his arms while Emerald did the same with Cinder. Both parties began to back away from one another, eyes contact never ceasing. As they did, Mercury glanced around.

"Where'd the faunus chick go? Neo, you happen to see her?" Neo, slowly coming down from her bloodlust high, looked away from Taiyang and shrugged.

"I sent her to track the Specter," Adam replied, carefully watching as Qrow and Amber disappeared into the portal. "Once we're secure again, I'll meet up with her and make an example of the scum."

"Uhh, not for nothing, but you're sure your girl will be fine? The Specter's made a small name for himself back in Mistral." Mercury glanced at a slightly fidgeting Adam, thumb rubbing the handle of his sword as Taiyang vanished into the portal.

"She is superior to me when it comes to matters of stealth, and when it comes to the plight of Faunus her desire to help is second to none." A second's glance between Adam and Raven lasted before the swordswoman stepped through the portal, and the thrum vanished.

"I trust she will fulfill her objective discreetly."

… … …

'SHIT! SHITSHITSHITSHIT!' A bullet cracked deep into a tree beside my head, and I wheezed for breath and sprinted even faster through the forest. However, busted ribs and strained eyes made fleeing futile when the pursuer was _Blake-fucking-Belladonna_.

'Why is she _here_, chasing _me_? What happened to the fight? I know I saw Cinder alive sans arm, along with Amber in the same boat, but-OH SHIT!' Only Chronometry's passive effect saved me from a bullet to the back as I sharply pivoted. In exchange, my ribs creaked further. 'What did I even do to her? The last time we met...was while outnumbering Adam, in the middle of a warzone among SDC and White Fang bodies…ok, that makes sense…'

My shortness of breath took precedent over my ranting, however. Regardless of whether Blake was well-rested and uninjured, I wasn't either of those, which meant she was gaining on me _very_ quickly. Better to handle thing on my terms though, which meant…

A fight against Blake Belladonna. 'Joy…'

I grabbed a thin tree trunk to swing back around, my other hand on Mirror's Edge while searching the trees for-there!

Gambol Shroud's two blades sliced in quick succession, both meeting my longswords. A Grimm mask covered amber eyes, but the grimace she bared at me let me know exactly how Blake was feeling.

"_You_! _You killed all, those, people_!" Each word was punctuated with a rapid slash, and my muscles burned to move my much longer blades to meet hers. "_You took Ilia away_!"

'I did _what_ now?' I needed some answers, but more than that, I needed breathing room. Slamming Mirror's Edge back together, I fired one side a couple times as I shoved my greatsword against Gambol Shroud, knocking Blake back ten or so feet. "Ok, STOP! Just…give me a chance to explain."

Blake stopped, though Gambol Shroud remained up in its sickle form. "Talk then."

'Okayyy, not how I expected our first conversation to go…' I took a deep breath, wheels spinning in my head. "First off, I didn't kill any of the Faunus back in Kuchinashi. Hell, I didn't even kill any of the SDC workers. I haven't killed _anyone_, period."

"Then what was the point of firing that shot into the middle of our fight? And _what was that_?" Her question confirmed that she likely wasn't in the know about the finer points of why that fight had occurred. It also confirmed that my modifications to Corona weren't exactly standard additions even among a militant group such as the White Fang.

I held my hands in the air peacefully, and watched her head follow before jerking back to my face. "The only reason I was here today was to stop some very bad people from getting ahold of something very powerful, and very important. Nothing more, nothing less. The shot I fired was a desperate move due to how tense the situation got."

Fingers tightened on Gambol Shroud. "Some very bad people? Like the White Fang? Here to stop our plans again?"

"_No_." My forceful statement had Blake flinching for a second. "I didn't even _know_ this many people would be here today, let alone the White Fang. But no matter what, you have to have known that trying to kill an innocent girl in cold blood isn't exactly on the White Fang's mission statement of objectives."

For the first time this conversation, cat ears lowered a fraction and shoulders drooped. "It…it wasn't supposed to be like that. Just a simple job, in exchange for a lot of dust to help the White Fang."

'Dust?' "But wouldn't the White Fang have enough Dust anyways the train heist…" I trailed off as Blake's posture became hostile again, cat ears shooting back up while Gambol Shroud was aimed at me. 'Ah nuts, the ambush happened earlier than in canon, which means the train heist _hasn't happened yet_!'

"How did you know about the train?" Blake growled, and I kept my mouth shut, trying to search for any and all contingencies. "Have you been tracking us? Looking to finish what you started in Kuchinashi?"

"What? No, I already said-"

"It doesn't matter. I'll capture you and get answers." Gambol Shroud fired, and as I ducked away from the bullet, I watched the chain scythe cleave through the air towards me. A dive and roll away let me listen to the blade carving through the tree behind me.

'Grimmshit…after travelling nonstop, firing Corona and taking the recoil to the ribs, my Aura's not looking great…' I had more injuries and more exhaustion than my opponent wielding one _hell_ of an unconventional weapon. But I had at least one idea to deal with things.

My time spent thinking allowed Blake to close in, her cleaver sheathe at the ready to slice down. Gripping Mirror's Edge, I thrusted the blade towards her torso, and watched it pierce through without resistance before the Faunus's form began turning incorporeal. Even before my thrust was finished though, I had my eyes scanning to the sides to no avail, before aiming Mirror's Edge behind me.

BANG BANG BANG

A soft grunt came from behind as all three shots made the telltale sign of impacting against Aura, and I swept Mirror's Edge around to knock an unprepared Blake into a tree, her purple Aura shimmering from the impact.

"GGH…how did you know?" Blake eyed me warily, giving me enough time to catch my breath.

"I've seen your semblance in action during Kuchinashi. I made countermeasures in case I ever had to fight someone with a semblance like yours."

"So you _were_ tracking the White Fang, or maybe just Adam and I…" I sighed but made no attempt to refute Blake's accusation. Now _really_ wasn't the time for it. Instead, I readied myself as the cat Faunus charged once again.

'Since I can counter her semblance, she's trying to leverage her natural agility and lighter weapons to whittle me down.' A good plan, at least in theory.

Splitting Mirror's Edge apart, I furiously slashed and parried Gambol Shroud's two blades, and true to form, Blake's superior footwork and lighter weapons were taking a toll on my arms and ribs. But I just needed to watch for the one specific move.

A straight slice downward with her cleaver was the signal, and I grit my teeth and tensed my arm muscles as the blade carved a chunk out of my Aura.

CLANG

Blake gaped as her cleaver was caught in between Mirror's Edge, but before she could channel her Aura to pull the blade out, I kicked out at her midsection and sent her sailing back once again, burying Mirror's Edge in the ground as she landed daintily on her feet. As I stood in front of Mirror's Edge, Blake readied her chain scythe as she stared, confused.

'She knows the trick to get her cleaver out, considering how she retrieved Wilt during the fight in Kuchinashi. She doesn't know whether or not I saw her do it, but either way, I just sacrificed two weapons to her one, so she's wondering why.' I pulled out Corona, and watched her eyes widen and narrow in realization. 'Yup, she's figured this is probably what fired that shot. Which means…'

A blur of movement, and Gambol Shroud whipped towards me again. A pull of the cord and its trajectory changed, forcing me to pivot and dodge. 'She's trying to occupy my attention and disarm me.' Another pivot as the chain scythe whirled around again, and I concentrated.

BANG

Gambol Shroud came back around, just as Blake was only a few feet away. With her eyes focused on Corona, they trailed away for a split second as I dropped the gun, before snapping back to my hand, with Luna detached from the firearm. With a scrape, I glanced Gambol Shroud off my knife's edge and grasped the chain scythe's cord with my other hand. Channeling Aura into Luna and my body, I yanked on the cord, and watched as Blake was unprepared for the extra momentum. Slipping, she tilted forward, but I was already rushing behind her, wrapping her own ribbon cord around her arms before circling her neck. Applying a chokehold, I held Blake still before bashing Luna's hilt into the back of her skull. Once, twice, and three times before her Aura shield broke and her movements slowed. Keeping the chokehold on, I waited until her movements stilled before releasing my arm and turning her onto her back. Laying her down, I made sure she was still breathing, before sitting down hard next to her.

"Hah…hah…oh gods, let's never do that again…" Pulling out my burner scroll, I glanced at the screen. "UGGGHH…this is gonna be a pain…fine, gotta get moving…"

… … …

Wind was blowing through her ears, and they flicked in annoyance. That, and the rhythmic thumping was only making her headache worse.

Wind? Thumping?

Blake's eyes snapped open and her head jerked up, categorizing immediately that her arms were bound and legs were tied. That didn't stop her from frantically struggling, and she opened her mouth to scream. Before she did, the thumping, now recognized as footsteps, immediately stopped, and her view lurched as she was placed against a tree.

"O-KAY, let's not do that, I had to take the _really_ long way around to avoid attention. I'd rather not draw prying eyes before properly explaining myself." Blake paused to take in the man before her.

A sleeveless black turtleneck covered his torso, while black cargo pants covered his legs. At his waist was a dark belt with various pouches, while his feet sported black combat boots and his left hand wore a fingerless glove. His left arm was covered in black segmented plates, connected to a pauldron at his shoulder. A youthful Mistralian face stared back at her, black hair cut short into a buzz cut, with near-opaque sunglasses gazing inquisitively.

"Right, let's get this out of the way. I'm Kouzai Higure, and you're Blake Belladonna." The mention of her name made her realize that her view was unimpeded, meaning that her Grimm mask was missing, not to mention this _random stranger_ _knew her name_! "Oh, probably should've mentioned I took your mask just in case. That, and that I'm the Specter."

Blake's struggles ceased out of shock, and she stared back at the _teenager_ who Adam was so determined to hunt down. Questions aplenty came forth, but one took priority at the moment. "What's the point of all this? Kidnapping me, showing me your face?"

"Well, I gotta be honest with you, this was not in the plan, at all," Kouzai groaned, a hand on his face. "Buuut, if I had to give an answer, it's to make things right, in a manner of speaking."

"Kidnapping a Faunus is 'right'?"

"No, not that! I meant telling you who I am. Think of it like this. You could go right ahead and tell the White Fang my name and what I look, and that would surely rain hell on my life. By the same token, I could announce to the world at large that Blake Belladonna, daughter of the Chieftain of Menagerie, is a member of the militant White Fang, which I'm sure would cause suffering to your parents in kind."

Blake's glare increased at the casual threat dispensed, before something registered. "The fact that you know who I am already means that you could've told people about my identity before this. So what's the point of showing me who _you_ are?"

"Reciprocity," Kouzai stated simply. "Think of it as mutually assured destruction. If either one of us tries to sound the alarm about the other, they're liable to both go down in the process. Rest assured, the fact that I haven't told a soul about your identity should signal that I don't actually wish the Faunus ill, which hopefully buys me some goodwill with you. If not, I'll trust in the fact that I believe you're a good person, and wouldn't do such a thing."

"And why would you trust me? We've only just met," Blake accused, knowing full well that he'd likely been tracking them for gods know how long.

"Because you _did_ feel guilty about attacking Amber, despite the lack of compunctions that Adam Taurus had. Something that I'm sure has been a reoccurring theme in recent years. That, and I believe that any friend of Ilia's is also a good person at heart."

Blake's gaze snapped from the ground back to Kouzai. "So you _do_ know Ilia? What happened to her? What did you do to get her to abandon the White Fang?"

"For gods' sake, I've only spoken to the girl twice _ever_, and haven't seen her in _years_. And for the record, I didn't _do_ anything besides have a frank conversation about the White Fang's flawed trajectory, which was before the attack on the Kuchinashi SDC factory. Mainly, she just realized that the White Fang's policy of 'kill humans to raise the Faunus up' is pretty unsustainable, which is something that I'm sure you've already realized." A glance at Blake had her looking away out of spite, despite her feet scuffing the dirt. An audible sigh drifted out, before Kouzai got to his feet and walked over to Blake. Kneeling down, Blake flinched as he extended a hand, before watching in surprise as he undid the knots keeping her bound by Gambol Shroud's cord.

"Look, you're free, and there's no need to listen to my 'indoctrination' or what have you anymore," Kouzai said, slumping tiredly. "Just…a bit of advice. It's pretty clear that you were a moment's notice from ditching the White Fang yourself. If it wasn't from the horrors shown today, then probably when Adam was planning to bomb that SDC train had the heist happened. I only ask that you _really_ think about if _all of this_, is how you want to help the Faunus. I won't keep you any longer, and I _really_ need to make this appointment."

As Kouzai gathered his belongs for departure, Blake blurted out, "What should I do then? Without the White Fang, where should I go from here?"

Kouzai stopped, before turning back to Blake. "Again, not my place to tell you how to live your life, but I don't think being a huntress would be a bad plan. You clearly have the skills, the drive and the intelligence to help humans _and_ Faunus as a whole. If that matches with your perception of helping the Faunus, then give that a shot. I'd recommend Beacon Academy, but then again, I'm a little biased. Either way, I'll stop bothering you. Good luck, and maybe we'll see each other again."

Facing forward, Kouzai dashed further into the forest, and Blake was left alone to her thoughts as the leaves around her slowly rustled.

Beacon…

… … …

'Well, that's embarrassing.' I watched as Blake smoothly finished her practical examination, before exiting the arena. A quick glare my way, and she was out the door before I had time to formulate a response. 'How _in the HELL_ did she beat me here?'

Thanks to the date of Amber's ambush being changed, I only had a couple days to get to Beacon before the application period closed. Since separating from Blake, it took me over a day to get back into Vale, owing to my injuries. I only had enough time to grab a shower and a fresh outfit, stash Corona in my apartment, realize my apartment was searched by Junior's men, check in with Junior while lambasting him, stash Corona somewhere safer, and catch a bullhead to Beacon. After arriving at Beacon, I took the obligatory moment to marvel at the impossible architecture of the place, before dashing in to slam my application down with less than an hour to spare. After the period closed, all the applicants were funneled into one of Beacon's combat arenas, where Glynda Goodwitch stood at its center.

"To all applicants of Beacon Academy, whether they be at the academy itself or at one of the other testing grounds across Remnant, the practical examination for this year is to simulate live combat while outnumbered. In order to test and ascertain your skills, each applicant will begin with facing an Atlesian Knight-130. Applicants successful in beating the android will then face two AK-130's, then four, and finally eight simultaneously. Applicants successful in beating all fifteen androids total without suffering an Aura knockout, ring-out or surrendering will be marked as having passed, and will be extended an invitation to the written examination. Applicants who pass both examinations will be entered into final list of applicants to be selected as students. Now, if there are no further questions, will our first applicant of the day please enter the arena?"

From there, it was a blur as I focused on channeling Aura to mend my still-injured ribs, but I knew it'd take another week or so before they were fully healed. Meanwhile, I was trying to figure out a way around the little snag that this particular examination method created.

'These androids don't have fracking AURA! I can't sense them with my eyes closed, meaning that I have to keep them open _longer_.' I mentally made a note to never go that long without my eyesight ever again. The benefit of gaining Aura-sensing capabilities, rudimentary as they were, was not worth the strain that came when actually trying to use my eyesight and Chronometry. 'Why couldn't they wait until next year to roll use the AK-130's? Oh yeah, because the 200's are coming out _this_ year. Nuts.'

And so I eventually stepped into the arena. Armed with Mirror's Edge, Luna, and a very overtaxed Chronometry against fifteen androids.

"Applicant Kouzai Higure. You may begin." At Goodwitch's words, a door by the arena edge opened and a single AK-130 stepped out. As soon as it stepped onto the area platform, it shifted its hands into guns and began firing. Shielding myself with Mirror's Edge, I slowly advanced and waited for it to change its weapons. As soon as the firing stopped, I lunged forward, raised Mirror's Edge skyward, and cleaved through the robot before it had finished changing its arms into blades. As my greatsword crashed into the arena floor, I took a moment to glance at Glynda. The combat instructor gazed inscrutably at me, as if she could see past my sunglasses, before calling out, "Round Two may commence."

Taking my place at the opposite end of the arena again, I waited for the doors to open as two AK-130's stepped out, both equidistant from me. Taking a moment, I held Mirror's Edge horizontally and waited. The moment that both robots stepped onto the platform, I dashed for one, using my greatsword as cover again from the multi-angled fired. Once I was close enough, I used Burst to come up right behind the android, running it through with Mirror's Edge. As the AK-130 slumped against my blade, I ran towards the other, using the body of the first as cover before swinging it off my blade as a projectile. As the functional robot sliced its inactive twin apart, I closed in and cut the robot's arms off, before knocking its head away with Mirror's Edge and plunging the blade into the ground to lean against.

"Hah…hah…easy…" I kept a smile on my face, despite the _small_ matter of my ribs aching in protest. In addition, my left arm, especially all armored up, was getting that slow burn that signaled oncoming fatigue. 'Next job on the DIY list; solve the recoil problem for those special bullets, or this is gonna end up being a painful modification for _all parties_ involved.'

However, I still had appearances to keep. Wrenching Mirror's Edge out of the ground, I gave it a twirl in the air before resting it on my shoulder. Looking over towards Glynda, I grinned. "Ready for Round Three whenever you are, Professor." Returning back to the starting position, I lowered Mirror's Edge and watched carefully as four doors opened up, and four AK-130's approached from different sides of the arena. Slowly digging my sword into the ground, I closed my eyes and steadied my breathing, waiting and listening.

"Round Three may commence." With those words, I immediately ducked behind Mirror's Edge as gunfire began to slam against my blade. Eyes slowly opening, I remained kneeling and waited for the firing to cease. After nearly half a minute of continuous fire, there was a respite as I glanced over my blade, and saw the four androids approaching, two with blades in front and two with guns behind.

'Oh great, they can coordinate.' Yanking Mirror's Edge out of the ground, I held the blade in front like a tower shield, while pulling Luna from its sheath and holding it in my left hand. Seconds away from collision with the melee fighters, I stopped and channeled Aura to my legs, before leaping forward and under a bladed arm. Carrying Mirror's Edge, I stayed low and cut through the android's torso, before thrusting Luna straight out into a second android's head before it could begin firing. Channeling Aura through the knife, I tugged the sparking robot to the side to block fire from the other shooter. Wrenching Mirror's Edge out of the bifurcated android's body and threw my greatsword like a javelin, piercing the other bladed robot as it attempted to close in. As the last android switched from ranged to melee weapons, I kicked my android shield at it and yanked Luna free. Circling to the side, I took advantage as the android's AI prioritized the incoming projectile and sliced it away. The robot was too occupied to see as I stepped from behind and stabbed the knife into its head, then dropped to my knees and carried the blade down. Sparks flew out of its exposed back as the android toppled forward, and I stood up slowly, arms trembling slightly from fatigue. Meanwhile, my eyes began throbbing again, my brief reprieve in keeping them closed ineffective.

Walking over to Mirror's Edge, I pulled my blade out of the android's body as Glynda approached from the side. "Mr. Higure, are you certain that you wish to continue with the practical exam? You appear to be unwell. If needed-" Whatever might have been offered was never heard as I held a hand up.

"I'm fine, Professor," I breezed out, before pointing at her monitoring device. "If you've been watching, I haven't taken a hit yet, so this last round shouldn't be a problem for me."

"Mr. Higure, I'm sure there is no shame in-"

"_I said I'm fine, Professor_." I winced both at my forceful tone and the throbbing reaching behind my eyes. "Apologies, but I made a promise to my friends and I'll see it through. Now, I'm aware that the last round is different so I'll get in position." Walking away without another word, I sheathed Luna momentarily and holstered Mirror's Edge, letting my arms relax for even a moment as I made my way towards the center of the arena.

'Okay, deep breaths, relaxed posture. Eight AK-130's, you handled nearly that amount two years ago, and you've more Grimm than that at a time last year. You can do this…_you have to do this_.' Ignoring the throbbing of my eyes, I turned slowly as eight doors opened and AK-130's approached from all directions. I focused Aura to the legs and to my Aura shield for the beating I knew I was about to take.

'Whatever it takes.'

"Final Round may commence."

Gritting my teeth, I rocketed straight for one of the androids, piercing through its chest before immediately withdrawing Mirror's Edge. Holding both Mirror's edge and the android's body in front of me, I poured Aura into my arms to maintain my grip as I rushed towards a hail of fire. Getting close to a duo of bots, I tossed the android body in the air. "Batter UP!" Firing Mirror's Edge, I slammed the flat of my blade into the body, sending it hurtling into the other robots. As I did, multiple shots impacted against my back. "GRRRR!"

Whirling around I dashed for the group of three on the opposite of the arena, focusing Aura to my legs and turning into a human projectile. Zooming across the platform, I raised my blade to run the androids through before multiple blades cut against my left side, sending me towards the grounds. Planting Mirror's Edge, I cartwheeled and used the moment to pull my blade over my head as cover. Not a second later, multiple bladed arms slammed into the metal, and my legs buckled from the combined force. Swiveling my head, I saw the five remaining androids closing in, literally armed with blades and slamming them down onto Mirror's Edge.

Arms shaking from exertion, eyes struggling to remain open, I wheezed as the searing of my ribs became too hard to ignore. 'Damn…this is the best I've got, huh? Shit…at least I stopped Cinder from getting the maiden power…that's good en-"

"GET UP, KOUZAI!"

"C'MON! I DIDN'T SNEAK INTO BEACON TODAY TO WATCH YOU GET YOUR BUTT KICKED!"

My arms instinctively tensed at hearing the two voices in person, for the first time in the better part of year. Even without looking, years of hearing them in conjunction let me pick them out of a crowd. 'Come on Kouzai…COME ON…_COME ON_!'

Putting nearly everything I had left into full-body Burst, I split Mirror's Edge apart into my longswords and powered upwards, whirling around to parry the near-dozen blades around me.

Full rotation slashes. Throw-and-return spearing. A flip and cleave downwards.

'Come on, body of mine…_hold on_…' With double backhand slices, the last android's head tumbled off its shoulders, hitting the ground a split second before Mirror's Edge sank into the arena platform, my full weight leaning on it and gasping for breath.

"Congratulations, Mr. Higure." Glynda's voice, seemingly softer compared to her normal stone-firm speech, drifted over above the whoops and cheers coming from one energetic bomber. "You're technique has some glaring flaws in it, but you have real steel in you. I am pleased to extend an invitation to the written examination."

"Oh, thank the gods," I groaned, a trembling hand gently taking the small envelope from Glynda's hands.

"WHOOOOOOOOO!"

… … …

"Look at YOU, being all dramatic! And you said you didn't like practical jokes!"

"Nora, I believe that Kouzai's injuries and exhaustion are real…"

"THANK YOU! Now, if you could please stop-OWW! STOP PUNCHING MY ARM!"

"Weeeellll, if he's not faking it…and his injuries are _real_…and he wasn't hurt by the androids…_then who hurt him_?"

"A _very_ good question, Nora…" Two terrifying glares were sent my way, and I was sweating bullets from my couch, as Nora and Ren sat across from me.

After a grueling journey out of the arena and back into the stands, refusing to show any signs of needing help despite my injuries, I met up with an ecstatic Nora and visibly happy Ren. A quick glance around showed that Blake had long since disappeared, but I trusted that she wouldn't get herself into further trouble…at least until canon began. However, once the joyful enthusiasm from our reunion faded slightly, critical eyes noticed the difficulty I had during the practical examination, and quickly whisked me back to my apartment that they somehow knew where it was.

"Uhhhh…I was training? And got overzealous because I wasn't using my eyesight?" A glance back at the duo confirmed that they weren't liable to believe something so moronic. "More importantly, when did you both get here? I thought you would've taken the practical exam at a site like Haven or Sanctum, not come all the way to Vale."

"We were attempting to surprise you with our arrival, so that we might all take the practical exam together," Ren explained, patting a fiercely pouting Nora. "When our attempts to contact you only received silence, we met with your employer, Junior, and were offered temporary residence in one of his buildings while waiting for you. After taking the practical exams before you returned, it was a stressful couple of days getting Nora's mind off of your absence."

"Not _too_ hard, I'd wager," I shot back, and even Ren's face couldn't avoid darkening a bit at my pointed jab. Nora, on the other hand, was turning the same shade of pink as her outfit. The both of them had shifted their outfits by this point to the same clothes as worn in canon. "I've heard some _very interesting_ things from Jaune and Pyrrha recently. Not to mention Sun and Neptune."

"Traitors…" Nora mumbled. "Revealing a secret relationship is a double-broken-leg offense…"

"Ahem…I suppose it would be good to inform you in person…" Ren made an effort to reassert himself. "It…is true, that Nora and I have begun relationship with one another and-"

"HAHA! RENORA IS FULFILLED!" I leapt up and offered a high five to a very confused Nora, who still slammed her hand against mine without preamble. "I've been waiting _FIVE YEARS FOR THIS_!"

"But you've known us for less than five years…"

"_SIX YEARS_!" We all shared a laugh at that, then stopped as I jerked from still-mending ribs. "Anyways, any other eventful news from the Mistral front?"

"Hmm, let's see…we told you about us…You already know about Jaune and Pyrrha…you know that they're both badasses who didn't have any trouble passing the practicals…" Nora counted off her fingers. "Oh yeah! Jaune did his practical on the same day as ours, since he lives in Vale Kingdom! He's _big_ now! Oh, and he mentioned he wanted to have a spar with all of us once Beacon starts!"

'Oh joy…a buff, badass, overeager Jaune…this could end badly…' I paused my train of thought as Ren placed a package on the table.

"In addition, since both Weylin and I knew Nora would likely forget, he tasked me with passing on this package to you, something about your 'requested order', I believe." Both Nora and Ren eyed me curiously as I raised the package up and rattled it slightly, feeling a soft thump against the box's walls.

"Yup, this' probably what I was waiting for. I'll have to pass on my thanks to Weylin later." I slid the item into my bag, away from one Valkyrie's prying eyes, before rising off the couch. "In the meantime, duty calls, or at least, the evening shift at Junior's does. Feel free to stay here while I'm away."

"OOOH, we should go to the club Kouzai's working at! Think of all the _juicy scoops_ on his life that we've missed out on!"

"No, Nora. Something tells me if you started drinking, you'd be liable to wreck the club. And considering that Kouzai is employed there, the cost of damages by association would likely have him indebted to work there for eternity."

"Awwwww…."

"Truly, you're a saint, Ren."

"One of us has to be."

"And I'm not?"

"Kouzai, you're closer to an alien than human."

"GHK!"

… … …

"You've got _a lot_ of explaining to do, kid."

"That I do, and all will be told in time. For tonight though, I plan on working this shift, listen to Miltia and Melanie gush about passing the practicals-"

"Guess which pair of badass twins are going to Beacon?"

"THESE BADASSES!"

Two human missiles in dresses tackled my midsection, both holding the same envelopes of passing that I'd received earlier.

"-And tack on about another week of recovery time for my ribs…"

"Don't be such a baby. If we could do it, it shouldn't have been much of an issue for you," Melanie stated matter-of-factly.

"Yes, well, _do_ remember that there's still the written exam before you're even eligible to be selected as students," I replied, feeling guilty for a moment as literal twin expressions of horror appeared.

"Grimm studies…"

"History…"

"Books…"

"Studying…"

"Work…"

"…Well, it's a good thing that we've got an oh-so-capable tutor to help us get a grasp on the academics side of things," Miltia considered with a far-too-sweet smile.

"…Dear gods, I must've done something terrible in a past life…" I sobbed dramatically while glancing up the flashing disco ball above, taking two solid slaps to my arms.

"Jerk."

"Weirdo."

"Nerd."

"Id-"

"Let's let the kid get back to work, huh girls?" Junior asked. "After all, it's my dime that's going into his paychecks."

"_Whatever_," Both twins sounded off in unison, before playfully strutting away as Junior pinched the bridge of his nose.

"They make me old, that's for sure," Junior muttered before turning back to me. "Alright, get going. But don't think that we're not coming back to this topic of conversation again. If it involves the girls' safety, or the safety of Vale and by extension their safety, this needs to get brought to me, quick."

"Will do, boss man."

… … …

"Here's to getting into Beacon!"

"To getting into Beacon!"

"Here's to being old enough to drink!"

"To being old enough to drink!"

"Here's to our resident smart-ass, who spent countless hours training people here, be it in combat or academics, to be up to Beacon standards! Here's to Kouzai!"

"To Kouzai!"

The cheers swept around the VIP room reserved in Junior's, and Nora, Ren, Miltia, and Melanie raised their glasses, before turning and finding that I'd already downed mine.

"What? I'm not toasting myself." Everyone laughed, hopefully with me, as Nora hopped off the table.

"See, Ren? I can give a civilized toast while inside a club."

"That does not mean that you're allowed to have more than the suggested amount. Again, Kouzai and our new friends work here, so levelling the building would be bad."

"Fine…"

"You know, when you told us that one of your friends is both shorter than us and stronger than both of us combined, I thought you were just embellishing on your stories." Miltia's gaze swept over to the densely packed muscles present on Nora's arm. "After a spar with her, I'm now _very_ glad you were the one who trained with us."

"Though, that doesn't give you a free pass to get plastered," Melanie jeered, watching me down a second double of whiskey.

"Hey, I'm seventeen now, you'd best believe that I'm taking the opportunity to drink legally." Out of all the important facts of Remnant's society that I'd learned, it somehow passed over my head that the age of adulthood in Remnant was seventeen as opposed to eighteen. Considering the ever-looming possibility of Grimm attacks though, it made sense while concepts such as schooling and adulthood began a year earlier. Even knowing that fact, it still somehow escaped my notice until working at Junior's that being a recognized adult also meant having the right to drink. 'It was a long road, but we finally got here…'

A loud knock on the door drew our attention, as one of Junior's men opened the door. "Sorry to interrupt, but there's a bit of a situation downstairs."

Five combat-ready heads perked up. "What kind of situation?"

"…Well, there's a girl talking to the boss right now…"

"Seriously? You interrupted us to say that Junior's about to score with some chick?" Melanie scoffed and returned to her drink, but my head seemed to be buzzing, and it wasn't just from the alcohol.

"Wait, describe the woman to me." All present looked curiously at me, but Junior's thug obliged.

"Uhh, she's blonde, got a brown jacket, pretty sizeable cans-" I bolted upwards out of my seat and out of the room, vaulting over the railing onto the main floor below. Focusing, I saw the main bar across the building, and standing by the counter were Junior and…

Brown jacket and belt covering a yellow crop top and mini-shorts. Knee-high boots, orange socks and scarf added a further splash of warm colors, though the most eye-catching features were the vibrant blonde hair trailing down her back, along with the yellow bracelets around her wrists.

'Ohhhh boyyy…' I weaved through the crowds as quickly as I could manage, straining my ears to catch any hint of their conversation. '

"Got a name, sweetheart?" Junior asked, and I knew I only had seconds.

"Yes, Junior, I've got several. But instead of sweetheart, you can just call me-"

"Yang Xiao Long? What a surprise to see a fellow _Beacon applicant_? How have you been?" I waved an arm in the air and kept up my obnoxiously loud tone, aiming to be clearly heard over the beat of the club's music. Thankfully, Yang paused in her statement and movement. Even more thankfully, Junior seemed to realize that something was going on and backed up a step.

"Uh, great, like always? Sorry to say, but I don't remember you. Have we met?" Lilac eyes narrowed, hopefully in an attempt to remember me rather than in suspicion.

"You don't remember? Actually, that doesn't surprise me, we were both pretty hammered that night. All I remember was you telling me you were aiming to go to Beacon, and considering how well you mentioned you were doing in Signal, I'm guessing things are looking good on that front. It's Kouzai, by the way." I was heavily relying on the mind's ability to fabricate memories where there were none so long as descriptive details were provided.

A slow nod. "Yeah, don't know why I forgot. Anyways, got accepted to Beacon pretty recently."

"No way! Same thing happened to me too! My friends and I are actually celebrating up in one of the party rooms right now, so you're welcome to stop by!"

"Sorry, I'm here more for business right now." At her words, Junior stiffened slightly and Yang's grin grew wider. "A little information gathering."

"Huh, I'll bite. Anything that someone low on the chain like Junior might know?" I ignored the glare Junior sent my way, and kept my focus on a now-intrigued Yang.

"Well, it might be something that you know as well…" Yang pulled up a picture of Raven on her scroll and held it up. "Do you have any idea of where this person might be?"

"I can't say I-" Only Chronometry saved me from the fist hurtling towards my face. As it was, I only had enough time to flare my Aura shield before a monstrous hook clocked my left cheek, and I slammed straight into the counter.

"One thing, _Kouzai_…I've never gone drinking with a Mistralian before." I glanced sideways into red eyes, and the sounds of Ember Celica deploying filled the air. "Now, who are you and what's your deal?"

I held a hand out before Junior or any of his men could make a move. "I'm fine, just…smarts a bit. To answer your question, my name is actually Kouzai, though I _did_ make up the fact that we've met. The reason was to prevent the possibility my workplace from being levelled, which now seems to be back on the table."

"Just tell me what I want to know about this woman and I'll leave then," Yang demanded, and it seemed like Junior had reached his last straw, reaching for his Bat-zooka.

"Or," I glanced at both Yang and Junior, "You can sit down, get your Strawberry Sunrise, and we can talk this out like nonviolent people that don't have to involve the police."

Yang glared me, before stepping over to a stool and sitting down. Taking the brave seat next to hers, I nodded at Junior, who stepped away as one of his men began putting together a Strawberry Sunrise. "Where's he going?"

"Somewhere that he'll likely be more useful, as an information dealer in _Vale_." I stressed the location as Yang raised an eyebrow. "If you want information on someone in Mistral, you're taking quite a long walk for that drink of water."

"How do you know that this person is in Mistral?" Yang kept her eyes on me as her drink arrived.

"Well for starters, you asked a random person in a club if they knew where a person might be. Considering that you stressed that I was Mistralian, I'll choose to believe that you thought I might know something due to being Mistralian, rather than just being racist. Second, this person's armor and weapon just screams Mistral. And third, with a name like Yang Xiao Long, it's not a hard leap that someone that looks that much like you is Mistralian."

"How did you know what my name is, since we've never met before?"

"I wasn't lying about applying to and getting accepted into Beacon. In researching the school, I was also researching some of the noteworthy potential applicants as well. When you graduate from Signal Academy with high marks, and one of the professors there has nearly the exact same name as you, it's not hard to put two and two together." My explanation seemed to engross her, or maybe that was the fervor in which she was consuming her drink.

"Fine. Let's say I believe the reason that you know my name. Let's say I believe the reason why you know the person in the photo is Mistralian. Let's even say I believe that Junior isn't the right person to ask to get information on her whereabouts. That _still_ doesn't answer the question on what _you_ know about this person." A firm hand gripped her drink's glass, the contents getting lower and lower.

'It's never easy with Branwens, is it?' I called a double of whiskey over to me, and downed the whole thing at once. "Okay, here's the gist of it. I once ran into this person in Mistral, almost got sliced and beaten to death for my troubles, and haven't spoken to her since. That's it."

Yang stared for a moment, before grabbing the collar of my turtleneck. "And you know nothing else about she might be? Do you swear that you're telling the truth?"

I held her gaze steadily. "I swear that I have no idea of her current location." At my words, Yang sagged against the counter, the remainder of her drink forgotten.

"Ugghhh…another dead end…" Eyeing me, and then her drink, she downed the rest of her Strawberry Sunrise before turning to me. "Don't think that we'll end up being best buds or something like that. You ever pull a stunt like that in front of me again, and I'll be decking you with Ember Celica this time."

A call came on her scroll, and Yang slowly walked away as she took the call. "Oh, hey sis…"

Junior came around less than a minute after she was out of sight. "How _did_ you know what her name was, or why she was here?"

"Like I said, there's a Taiyang Xiao Long that teaches at Signal, and a Yang Xiao Long that recently graduated. Not hard to place the resemblance there. As for why she was here, one look at her and I knew she was the spitting image of a blonde Raven."

Junior shook his head. "Still kinda miffed you called me low on the totem pole of things. I might've really been able to locate him if I had the time and money."

"Yes, but the continued attention of Yang Xiao Long is not something that you want or need, and even if you came through with information once, you'd be on the hook for other errands as well. Not to mention how Yang's father, her uncle, or gods forbid, Raven Branwen herself might react." Junior nodded in agreement, and I rose off the stool and grasped my newly-refilled glass. "Now, I'm getting back to the party before I inevitably get tackled and questioned on who the 'hot blonde' was and-"

"KOUZAI!"

"NO, _I'm holding something_!"

… … …

'Whew, it's been a long time since I've been able to indulge that much without raising eyebrows.' After a respectable amount of time at Junior's, not to mention an ungodly amount of alcohol thanks to Aura's healing properties, I was well and properly drunk. Thankfully, after splitting up for the night, all of our apartments were rather close, and everyone returned home without incident, with Ren and Nora opting to return to their own apartment.

"Ah, at last, they don't want me eternally third-wheeling them anymore." I chuckled to myself as I stumbled through my nighttime routine, and fell into bed with a smile on my face. "Only a couple more weeks until initiation though, and then they'll be sharing a room with Jaune and Pyrrha. Oh, the scheduling that'll be happ-"

… … …

"-ening…wait…did I fall asleep that fast?" I quickly glanced around, and found myself back on the marble platform with blending shades of black and white. Only this time, there were no doors present. "If this is a dream, it's pretty cryptic as far as the symbolism goes."

_Really? I would've thought the symbolism was rather obvious…_

…No…

"_Then again, I suppose without the doors present this time, there's little to interpret…"_

…Impossible…

"Now, I think now's a good time for a little chat. After all, you've made quite a splash since your arrival."

I couldn't spin around fast enough, to stare at the figure who'd appeared out of thin air in the middle of the platform.

White Sundress. Fair skin devoid of any blemishes or marks. Two hair antenna standing upright and curving slightly downwards. And electric blue eyes and hair.

I stepped within arms-reach of the girl, then gazed for any conceivable clue as to who, or what, I was dealing with. One thing stood out though.

"You…you were at the flower viewing festival two years ago…I mistook Ilia for you…"

The girl smirked and flicked her hand through electric blue tresses. "Perks of choosing a distinctive hair and eye color, though I suppose you could've mistaken me for a sibling of Neptune Vasilias or something as equally contrived. Oh, and before I forget, do tell me if you'd prefer to converse mentally rather than verbally, as your slack-jawed expression seems to be preventing proper speech at the moment."

Another piece of some infinitely vast puzzle. "The voice in my dream last year…and during the festival again three years ago…that was _you_…"

"Really now, I've been laying clues of my existence since your arrival, though I suppose you'd have only noticed them if you were sufficiently conscientious and paranoid about your predicament. The pitfalls of complacency, I suppose…" A roll of electric blue eyes prompted the realization.

The electric blue butterflies…the voice…her appearance…this platform…

Five years of zany, outlandish life on Remnant didn't prepare me in the slightest for something like this. "Who, or what…are you?"

"Now you're finally asking questions. Good." The smile on her face didn't quite reach her eyes. "I don't really have _one_ name; it depends on where I am and who's addressing me. To the Greeks, I was Hecate and to the Romans as Diana. To the Neopagans, I'm the Triple Goddess. In ancient Chinese legends, I'd be the Lady in the Moon. To some monotheistic religions, I'm the Prime Mover, or the Unmoved Mover. To the sciency types, I'm the Butterfly Effect given form. But I'm rather partial to the name Primordia."

"Pri…mor…dia?"

"Yup, like primordial. Or the Prime Mover. Or the Prime Death Goddess. It's just a name."

_Far_, _FAR_ too much information. "…So you're a goddess then? Or _the _goddess?"

"Nope." The _goddess_ popped the 'p' exactly how Ruby would. "Definitely not the 'singular deity'. I'm certainly not omnipotent, or omniscient, and I'm definitely not patient or kind enough to be omnibenevolent. Omnipresent though? That's more on the dot. I'm what some refer to as a liminal deity."

Grueling SAT prep was to thank for knowing the word. "You're a deity of pathways?"

"Pathways, doorways, gates. It's all very broad, and doesn't really explain things, but it's the closest fit."

A _tiny_, miniscule part of the mystery was solved, namely the _how_ on my situation. "So why am I here?" Unfortunately, I was far too dumbfounded to English properly at the moment.

_Primordia_ tapped her chin in thought. "You want the short proper answer, the short improper answer, or the long answer?"

"I'm kind of dreaming right now, or I think I am, so I have time for all three…" Gods help me if I wasn't.

"Fair enough. You're here to help save Remnant."

"…Is that the short proper, or the short improper answer?"

"Proper."

"…And the improper?"

"You're here to help me stick it to those two horned and glowing asshole brothers."

"GHK!...By 'horned and glowing' brothers-"

"Asshole brothers."

Sweat was beading on my forehead. "…Yes…you aren't referring to the God of Light and the God of Darkness, right?"

"That's exactly who I'm talking about."

I slowly sat down on the marble floor, then proceeded to lie on my back in blank shock. Eventually, a piteous whine sounded out, one coming from my mouth. "_Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu_…so I'm here…to help you…piss off two _gods_ who you yourself describe as assholes."

"Weeeellll, it wasn't so much as to why _you're_ here, as to why _someone_ is here."

"…I think I'll take the long answer now…"

"Yeah, good call. So, you've watched RWBY right?"

"Yes?"

"And you were caught up on Volume 6 before all this happened right?"

"_Yes?_"

"So you know about the whole background about how Remnant was created, yeah?"

"…_just start explaining_."

"Gotcha. So, the gist of it is that I've been around since the beginning of _all_ the universes. Liminal deity, omnipresent, yatta yatta. I've never had a hand in _creating_ much of anything though, my skillset is far more limited compared to the Brothers Grimm. The trade-off though, is that Thing 1 and Thing 2 have to hang around the confines of _this_ universe. Me? I'm not quite so limited. I can go anywhere, and pretty much any-when. So imagine my surprise when I return to Remnant one day, or whatever it was called before that, and find that the Horned Gods have torn it a new one. Humanity almost completely wiped out, magic is pretty much gone, the Faunus have sprung into existence (though that one is actually more of a plus), and Salem the immortal widow is now an un-killable murder machine in charge of the Grimm. But worst of all? I had a perfectly good spot to watch the world from the moon, and tall, dark and _bitchy_ went and _blew it up_!"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…And, you know, fast forward hundreds and thousands of years, and we've got the events of the show RWBY. And therein lies the problem."

A little specificity never hurt. "Which is?"

"Well, for starters, on Earth, it's a show written by producers and writers and directors. It's plotted and thought out, which also means that it ends with the good guys winning. Quality television."

"And that's bad because?"

"_Because_, here, Remnant is an _actual_ world with _actual_ people and _actual_ pain, suffering and death happening. And it's been happening for thousands of years thanks to Salem's grudge, and Ozpin's inability to overcome some admittedly stacked odds. And both of these factors, are entirely due to the work of those two _idiots_ who call themselves gods! They're content to just vacation off somewhere else in the universe and let Remnant blow itself up! So, out of hope for Remnant, and maybe to show those brothers just how incompetent they are, I decided to put my own piece on the board."

From my spot on the ground, I gazed up into hazy nothingness, blinking profusely. "And you decided…that 'piece' would be me?"

"Well, not exactly…"

I was officially lost for about the fifth time. "_And what, does that mean?_"

"The Brothers aren't as fine-tuned to the rest of the universe, and universes, as I am, and don't really notice when I come and go. A more forceful use of my abilities however, like bringing a person from a different universe onto Remnant for example, would definitely get their attention. And so I went and talked it out with both idiots, _like any civilized deity should do_, and we laid a few ground rules, so to speak."

"_Such As?"_

"Okay, well first, I'd only get to bring one person onto Remnant. No bringing an entire world to overpower Salem by force or something ridiculous like that."

"Reasonable. Continue."

"Second, no granting immortality or reincarnation or some other death-defying boon to whoever I picked. I'd get the one life, and that'd be it."

"…The ability to _not die_ during those _very_ close shaves I've had over the years would've been nice, but given how much trouble just two immortals caused, it's understandable. Anything else?"

"Third, I would get to pick someone that had some base knowledge and capability of surviving on Remnant. Dropping someone who required being in water to breathe wouldn't really cut it, for example. And even with a slight tweak of ages in the transition to Remnant, bringing an infant or some ancient person wouldn't really get anywhere, regardless of how physically appropriate they were to change things."

"So you got to pick someone that had watched RWBY, and was at an age range that wouldn't be too jarring when they were put on Remnant in a younger or older body. Is it that it?

"…Nope…"

"…That sounds rather suspicious…"

"That's all the rules we set."

"…Fine, let's go with that for now then. So using those parameters, I was the one that you ended up picking?"

"…Not…exactly…"

"…_explain_…"

Never before this did I think that a goddess could look bashful. "Well…even with those constraints, there were still _a lot_ of people that had watched RWBY. Like, we're talking hundreds of thousands! It would've been exhausting to sort through the number of people on just _one _Earth, and think of how many I had access to! So…I kinda…chanced it…"

"…_EXPLAIN_…"

"…I took the names of everyone eligible, put them on a big carnival wheel, spun it and picked whoever it landed on…I didn't have enough strength to spin it all the way around, but your name was closer to the end, so that's how things happened…"

"…_YOU CHANCED THE FATE OF REMNANT AND MY LIFE ON A FUCKING SPINNING WHEEL?!_"

"Nope!"

"_WHAT DO YOU MEAN, NOPE?!_"

"I was lying about how you were chosen!"

"_WHY?!_"

Primordia's smirked once again, and this time her eyes crinkled in genuine amusement. "Would it really matter _how_ you were picked? You're _already here_, after all."

I stopped raging, slowly coming to grips with her twisted logic, before glaring at the goddess. "Then tell me the circumstances in which I was taken, and how I'll be returning after this all ends."

The goddess' smirk grew wider. "Nope."

I was on my feet and grasping her shoulders in a millisecond. "_Do not play games with me. I've been here for FIVE YEARS, and have done everything I can to make things better for Remnant than how they happened in canon. So TELL ME how I'll be going back once the job is done._"

Primordia gazed into my furious silver gaze, before her face turned just as rigid as mine. "_Don't_ make demands of a goddess, _boy_. Especially ones you don't really mean."

I blinked once in confusion, and she was gone from the platform.

"Like I said, it doesn't really matter how you ended up on Remnant, only that you're here."

The hazy void beyond the platform suddenly turned white, and began encroaching on the edges of the marble.

"_As for 'making things better for Remnant', I think you'll find your changes have wider effects than you predicted."_

The platform was fast disappearing, and I felt my consciousness fading as I was engulfed as well.

_And make sure you actually believe that you want to return to Earth before you ask it of me…_

… … …

I bolted up in my bed, and looked around my bedroom, outside my window then at my scroll to check the time.

'Still early in the night…must be from the alcohol…or the dream involving a literal goddess who just explained my purpose for being on Remnant…'

I knew I wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon, and shuffled around the apartment to keep myself busy. As I did, my eyes fell upon the belt pouches containing my journals.

'I think I've been careful about the changes I've made…things are pretty contained…what's the worst that could happen?'

**TIME REMAINING UNTIL START OF CANON: 1 WEEK**

**A/N: What could happen, indeed? All I'll say is I'm glad that monster of a chapter is out of the way. Hopefully it's a good end to the Countdown Arc, because we'll be jumping right into canon with the next chapter. But fear not, the stingers have returned.**

… … …

… … …

"-and with that, most of the preparations for the incoming students is completed," Glynda noted, looking away from her report to glance at an inattentive Ozpin. "Is something wrong, sir?"

Ozpin's head raised from his steepled hands, eyes focusing on Glynda as he registered what she had said. "Apologies, Glynda. My thoughts were occupied with the ramifications of recent events."

Glynda nodded sagely, the events in question being obvious. "The ambush on Amber months prior."

"Precisely," Ozpin replied, rising slowly from his desk to stand by the glass walls overlooking Beacon. "Though the Fall Maiden was protected, it was not without cost. The remainder of Team STRQ, along with young Ms. Rose and Ms. Xiao Long, are now priority targets for Salem and her forces to reach the Fall Maiden. In addition, Amber herself lost her right arm."

"Qrow has reported that Amber's physical rehabilitation using the robotic limb gifted by James is progressing well. He's confident that she will return to satisfactory combat performance quite soon, and with her new arrangement, protection from this Cinder and her allies should be absolute. Meanwhile, the involvement of the White Fang and Roman Torchwick in the ambush is valuable information on the identity of Salem's reach." Glynda paused as Ozpin's grip tightened on his cane.

"While it is true that knowledge of Salem's forces is always a readily-accepted advantage, it is not the presence of Salem's forces during the ambush that creates unease. Rather, it is the appearance of an unknown figure that draws my attention."

"The Specter."

"Indeed. Appearing at the critical moment of the battle, and appearing to target either Amber or this 'Cinder', it is clear that whoever this individual is has learned about the Maidens as well."

"Sir, Amber mentioned in her description of the fight that the blast was headed for Cinder, and that she herself was only injured in an attempt to keep Cinder in the blast radius."

"Perhaps that is accurate, and we have a mysterious ally on our side. However, given that the shot came from an impressive distance away, I cannot deny the possibility that it was only inaccuracy that caused the shot to hit both Cinder and Amber, rather than just Amber alone."

An operative active in multiple kingdoms, and armed with technology that James insisted that they discuss quite soon. Unknown skills, unknown identity, unknown motives. Well, one of those issues could be solved.

"Have Qrow reach out to his contacts, and redouble his efforts to find out who this 'Specter' is. We must act with haste to find if this individual is a new piece, or a new player on the board, and if so, who their allegiance lies with."

… … …

"All the training, all the resources, all the time expended, and what does she have to show for it? Nothing. If that wasn't a clear indicator of her incompetence-"

"Watts."

Arthur Watts immediately fell silent under the single word, as the black-clothed figure at the head of the table rose silently.

"There is no need to further detail Cinder's failure, as I am sure that the consequences of it are quite clear to her."

"Too bad she didn't lose her dominant arm! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Tyrian Callows giggled madly from his perched position.

"With the Maiden gone into hiding, claiming her power and retrieving the Relic becomes far more difficult," Hazel Rainart grunted, arms crossed as he glanced at the back of the woman staring out the window into the Grimmlands.

"While the ambush carries with it some failure, it has also given us an opportunity to strike against Ozpin's forces in turn," the soft voice responded, laying her hands on the stone windowsill. "Now that those such as Taiyang Xiao Long and Raven Branwen have shown their willingness to fight for Ozpin's cause, further weaknesses to exploit arise as well. My issue, however, is with the enigma that intervened during the battle. This _Specter_."

CRACK

Tons of rock groaned in protest under white fingertips, and pure power radiated back out towards the table.

"Watts. Find where the Fall Maiden is hiding now. If Ozpin has communicated with the other headmasters, he'll have left a trail for you to follow."

"Acknowledged."

"Tyrian. Find Raven Branwen's associates in Mistral, and give her a reminder of the enemy that she has made."

"OOOH, GOOD GOOD GOOD!"

"And Hazel? Head to Mistral, and find out if anyone knows the Specter's identity."

"Very well."

As Salem returned to her seat, her thoughts turned to the nameless interference in her plans.

A lethal shot that could have just as easily been for the Maiden or for Cinder. A blank record regarding their involvement in any of her or Ozpin's plans before. And clear mystery on the part of all pieces present that day. This was something new.

And it needed to be swayed, tamed or crushed.

**A/N: Welcome to the table, Kouzai! What was that? You weren't ready to get on Ozpin and Salem's radar? Then you shouldn't have fired a damn railgun at the two most important people on that battlefield!**

**I digress. The stage has been set, and the start of canon is shaping up to be fun. Next and last chapter of the year for New Year's Eve Eve, so look forward to that. Happy holidays to all!**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 12/30/19**


	21. Chapter 18: It's Better Safe

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Happy late 2020 to all the readers, and thanks for all the well wishes. Apologies for the late update and the paltry chapter length, just needed a little more time to get into the writing groove. Hopefully getting back into a normal schedule will help whip me back into creative shape, as counterintuitive as that sounds. Now for reviews.**

**AlexFalTon: Yup, some of what I wrote was definitely a long time coming in the canon show, so perhaps this fic is my way of explaining an earlier payoff. As for teams, the current intention is not to rock the boat too much in terms of pairings, but you are correct that there will be other new entrants besides Miltia and Melanie present. As for the goddess, it was my little twist on the whole self-insert genre, since the lack of an explanation for how Kouzai ended up on Remnant was eating at me a little. As for the goddess being an OC, I figured that it'd be best to avoid the Brother Gods since they're who knows where in canon, and I didn't want to upset anyone by using an established deity.**

**Gizmo Gear: Indeed, much plot twist, though I'd like to think that things are just getting started now that the fic has reached the canon timeline.**

**NeedingOfLifeGoalDude: That's a good question. In all likelihood, Kouzai will not be on any of the canon-established teams like RWBY, JNPR or CRDL. As for who's on his team though?**

**Raidentensho: As always, you've got some creative weapon ideas, but I've got something a little different in store for Kouzai. You're on the right track though.**

**Seiko: Thanks for hopping aboard the hype train. Hopefully the short break in between chapters wasn't too big a dampener on the hype.**

**Pyromaniac Rabbit: Great question. The short of it is that things aren't necessarily picture-perfect in the Rose-Xiao Long-Branwen household. Even with Raven's changed actions from canon, there were and still are issues in her personality and actions that need to be smoothed out in terms of her relationship with the rest of the family. Some of the hints have been acknowledged in previous chapters if you're curious. As for teams, while remaking teams and pairings would be great for all the creative interactions and plot, it's a bit of a narrative nightmare with far too many combinations to choose from. At least at the moment.**

**R26: Well, color me surprised to see you in the review section. Thanks for the read. In terms of the story structure and pace, the different options are something that I left in there just to give a glimpse of what might've been, which pops up in terms of the omakes I put in occasionally. The pacing was more of a tricky element, as I wanted to properly flesh out the pre-canon storyline without making readers (and myself) wait too long to get to canon events. Now that we're finally at Beacon, we can expect things to slow down a bit to get some more development, interaction, and yes, fluff, in.**

Chapter 18: It's Better Safe

Chapter Date: 01/13/2020

'This has got to be the most idiotic idea I've had yet, and coming from me, that's saying something.'

I was seated on a rooftop overlooking part of Vale's downtown commercial area. There for the last few hours, I'd been there to watch tens of thousands of people stream by, and eventually for the sun to set and Remnant's shattered moon to rise.

'I'm gonna have hell to pay once I get back to Ren and Nora, or at least Nora. She's been badgering me to show her the sights of Vale, somehow oblivious to the fact that I've gone without my eyesight for nearly all of the past year. At least they brought the idea of me heading to visual acuity therapy.' Setting aside the potential pitfalls of having to weave that lie into the mound of others, I focused on the streets below, specifically on the one shop in particular.

From Dust Till Dawn.

This was the second day of me coming out to this spot, something that I'd begun to do after waking up from that mind-boggling dream I had. 'Ignoring whether Primordia is real or not for now, at least one of her points still stands.' After waking, I'd put a number of hours that early morning into looking over my journals, trying to figure out what changes I might've made, before getting bodily removed from my apartment by an insistent Nora, Melanie and Miltia for an impromptu shopping trip. However, I had enough time to figure out that one event had yet to be completed, one event that could determine the entire course of canon.

And that one event relied on two parties, one of whom had entered the shop but a few minutes beforehand. A black dress, stockings and combat boots, lined with red trim and lace. Iconic accessories like the silver rose emblem on her belt, or the fluttering red cloak fastened to her shoulders. Red-tipped dark hair obscured from my view potentially the only other pair of silver irises on Remnant, and likely the only pair that really mattered.

'Alright, that's Ruby accounted for. Thank the gods for the small blessings.' Ruby Rose showing up to the shop was the easy part, though still uncertain. After Yang's lack of trashing Junior's club, or more importantly, Team STRQ's defense of Amber from the League of Evil, it was no longer a certainty that Ruby would have free rein to do as she pleased. But for pretty much the entire course of canon events to kick off, she _needed_ to get into Beacon, despite being two years younger than the average applicant.

Though her appearance only accounted for the easier side of the equation. As canon went, Roman and some of Junior's men would show up, try to rob the dust shop, get stomped by Ruby, and end up with Roman escaping and Ruby getting admission to Beacon by Ozpin. Now though? Thanks to Roman among others popping up alongside Cinder to fight Amber, I wasn't sure if the crime boss was willing to show his face in Vale proper with Ozpin and others likely searching for him.

'And if Roman isn't there to rob the shop, Ruby won't fight him and Ozpin won't have the pretense to offer her early admission to Beacon. So if Ruby needs to fight a criminal to get into Beacon…' I tightened my hands over Protector and Conqueror, gazing down through my volto mask. Garbed in my 'work' clothes, I'd opted to leave Mirror's Edge at home, bringing along a hastily-painted Corona, Luna and Protector and Conqueror instead.

'If _someone_ evil doesn't show up to rob this place before Ruby leaves, I'll have to do it myself…meaning I'll have to fight _Ruby_…oh gods, what if Glynda shows up?' My face paled at the idea, but as I shuddered off the imaginary agony I'd experience at their hands, movement on the street caught my eye as a familiar white coat appeared in view. 'Oh, thank you…'

With Junior's men _still_ accompanying Torchwick, I watched them enter the stop quietly before noticing the scared civilians still outside. Namely, the ones with their scrolls out. 'Ok, looks like the cops have been called. Meaning that there's probably less than five minutes before all of this goes down and the police arrive. Time to _not_ look like the Specter.'

Pulling off the robe, mask and switching my shoes for good measure, I stuffed them all into a bag before dropping the thing a few stories into the dumpster below. Now dressed down to my combat outfit, I grabbed Luna to re-sheathe it just as the sound of shattering glass rang out in the night.

'That was fast…' I looked out over the roof, and sure enough, Ruby was standing over one of Junior's men with Crescent Rose in all its complex and lethal glory. In roughly half a minute, the rest of Junior's men quickly approached and were subdued with bone-breaking force. 'I really hope those were the men that have Aura…'

I watched as Roman and Ruby had their momentary standoff, then quickly searched the area for the Bullhead that Cinder piloted in canon. However, both the ground and the skies appeared mercifully clear of aircraft in general.

'What the…without a Bullhead nearby, how was Roman and his crew supposed to make a getaway? Did Cinder chicken out? Or wait, is she even capable of piloting a Bullhead right now? But if she's not here then…ohhhhhh boy…' The telltale sound of Melodic Cudgel firing drew my attention, as Roman was already making his way up the ladder with Ruby fast recovering. 'Ahh Grimmshit…looks like I'm getting involved after all…'

… … …

Ruby fired Crescent Rose to clear her landing on the roof, before glaring at Roman Torchwick's back. "Hey!"

"Tch…" The crime boss turned slowly, a glare to match her own. "Persistent…End of the line, Red!"

Ruby prepared herself for his attacks, but before she could react, her Aura flared as something stabbed deep into her Aura shield and pushed her forward. Whirling around with Crescent Rose to ward off the attacker, Ruby came face-to-face with a short girl whose theme had to intentionally be Neapolitan ice cream. However, the girl's malicious smirk, not to mention her bladed parasol, were the opposite of sweet.

With two attackers on opposite sides, Ruby chose to face the bigger threat for the moment and turned to face Torchwick, only to see his face light up in glee.

"Big mistake, Red!" Ruby turned, but the short fighter had already closed in, her parasol poised to stab into her Aura again.

CLANG

Ruby blinked, as a figure dressed in dark clothing appeared from out of nowhere, with two metal nightsticks that had diverted the blade's path to the side. Silver, emerald, and pink and brown eyes fell upon the newcomer.

"Two-on-one seems a little uneven, don't you think?" the boy questioned, before grimacing and muttering something about 'introductions' under his breath. Strangely wearing sunglasses at night, his head turned momentarily towards Ruby before jerking in her direction, or rather, behind her. Getting the boy's intent, Ruby turned back to face Torchwick, who was no longer smiling.

"This isn't a playground, boys and girls! Run along back to your moms and dads before someone gets hurt, namely, you." Torchwick raised his cane again.

BANG

A Dust projectile like a firework streaked forward, and Ruby fired Crescent Rose to become airborne again. Passing below her, the shot continued straight on for her temporary ally. "LOOK OUT!"

Without so much as a nod, the boy grabbed his opponent's blade with a gloved hand, and swung both weapon and girl around into the path of Torchwick's shot. Letting go, both objects collided with an explosion of Fire Dust, as Ruby strangely heard the sound of shattering glass. Landing beside the boy, she turned to look at him but saw that his gaze was focused on Torchwick, as well as the girl who had somehow emerged unharmed at his side.

"Good show kids! OW! Wasn't talking about _you_…better luck next time." Torchwick, after rubbing his arm, tipped his hat, and the boy sighed and unceremoniously fired a shot with a pistol, streaking right for Torchwick's head. Glass shattered as both combatants vanished into a pile of collapsing glass, and the boy holstered his weapons with a shake of his head before stiffening in the silence.

"Um, thank you for the help. What's your-hey!" Ruby watched incredulously as the boy leapt right off the rooftop without a word, hitting the street below and dashing into the night. "Well that was…rude…"

Realizing that the sound of sirens had cut off, Ruby trailed off as a woman with a purple cape dropped from the sky onto the rooftop, wreathed in purple Aura. Looking around, the woman's bright green eyes focused on Ruby with laser intensity, something that was lost in the process of gazing in awe back.

"You're a huntress…can I have your autograph?!"

… … …

'Holy…that was _far_ too close for comfort…' I leaned against the alley wall, head against the brick as I firmly clutched the bag containing my Specter gear. 'Meeting this many bigshots and main characters is bad for my health…'

After realizing that Neo's very existence, not to mention her appearance alongside Roman during the fight with Amber, meant that she could freely accompany him in his heists, I _just barely_ managed to make it in time to prevent a disastrous fight between Roman and Neo against Ruby. 'Volume 3 showed how well _that_ went.'

Capturing them would've been ideal to stopping whatever Cinder's next plan was in its tracks, but the chances of a Pre-Beacon Ruby and I stopping Roman and _Neo_ were nonexistent, so I'd settle for a no contest. As soon as I felt Glynda's Aura fast approaching though, I beelined in whatever direction I could manage to stay out of the Huntress' sight. Although not in my Specter guise, I didn't know what changes my appearance alone beside Ruby could make. Ozpin wouldn't miss this opportunity to get Ruby into Beacon, but better not to take chances.

Then the thought occurred to me. 'If I'm already this nervous at _one_ encounter with _some_ of the main characters, what's gonna happen once I start Beacon?' I laid a hand on the pouch containing my journals and sighed. 'Guess it's back to late nights hitting the books…this is _way_ more reading than I did in college…'

… … …

… … …

"-it was no trouble at all, Taiyang. Rest assured that Ruby's admission into Beacon will not be jeopardized by trivial hurdles such as deadlines and ages. I will personally deal with any questions from disgruntled applicants and the Council if need be. You need merely celebrate with your family. I'll be in touch."

Ozpin ended the scroll call, before turning to a concerned Glynda. "What trouble's you, Glynda? Surely, it is not the matter of Ms. Rose's early admission, given the changed circumstances requiring her necessary protection."

"No, Sir, the circumstances _do_ require action be taken. It's just…having met the girl, do you believe that her temperament, skills and knowledge are sufficient to be a student here at Beacon? Protecting her is all well and good, but if Ms. Rose were to suffer undue hardship from being advanced beyond her capabilities, would that not still be harmful?"

Ozpin took a sip from his mug. "You are undoubtedly right. Ms. Rose's beliefs _are_ rather simple, and her acquired knowledge is quite likely less than that of the average accepted student. However, in my time, I have come to accept that trivial things such as knowledge and skill can be acquired with perseverance. The true ideals of a Huntsman or Huntress, however…those are hard-pressed to induce. Though her beliefs are simple, a simple is indeed powerful in its own right."

Glynda nodded. "If such is your decision, I will respect and adhere to it. On the matter of Ms. Rose's statements, however, the ones concerning her ally against Torchwick and this Neo. From the statements described, it appears that one of our other potential students, Mr. Higure, was also in the vicinity during this period of time."

"And that is perhaps fortunate, even if he sought to exit the scene before your arrival. After all, should harm have come to Ms. Rose before your appearance, I fear that we would have a _very_ angry and _very_ combat-capable family to deal with." Ozpin rose from his seat to turn to the window. "Kouzai Higure and Ruby Rose…both with silver eyes, but one without the gift that normally comes with them…curious…"

… … …

"Hah…Hah…we need to get one of Cinder's punks to bring a Bullhead next time, or at least get Junior to lend us better men…nearly got my suit dirty, and all for a few canisters of powdered Dust…Bully Boy better appreciate that I'm such a consummate professional, otherwise I'd be pushing low-quality Dust his way in a heartbeat…not to mention I saved his ass from those three monsters and that Monster…" Roman trailed off, turning to the side as Neo had a finger on her cheek in thought. "What's eating you? You've been remarkably quiet…well, more so than usual."

Neo mimicked two circles over her eyes, and Roman nodded. "The kid with the shades, right? Certainly was a surprise, though the two definitely didn't know each other. You think he might be a problem?"

Neo made a few motions, one involving her hand grabbing Hush as Roman whistled. "He actually managed to read your attack pattern? Kid's definitely got some skills, enough to get one over…you…"

Roman glanced sideways, to see Neo's eyes glinting with her mouth in a sadistic smirk. "Oh Dust…first that blond Huntsman, and now this kid…seems like you've got your hands full of fun for a while…just remember, we've still gotta work with Matchstick and the others…for now…"

**A/N: Again, apologies for the short length, but I'm not quite up to snuff yet. The other thing is that I'm trying out a slower pacing to allow for better development and such. I will aim to bring the chapter length back to a more respectable amount starting next week though.**

**As for the chapter contents, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that much of the plot hangs upon Ruby getting into Beacon. For such a coincidental meeting between Ruby and Torchwick in that pilot, it really turned out to be for the best. But if such a meeting had to be artificially manufactured? Meanwhile, I figured that Neo's appearance instead of Cinder would be a given, considering that Neo wasn't conceived before Season 2, and from which point appeared alongside Roman in every possible episode. Not to mention, Cinder wouldn't put herself on the front line if she could help it, but Mercury and Emerald hadn't been created yet either. And of course there's the fact that in this fic at least, Cinder's dealing with the teensy issue of loss of a limb.**

**Will Ruby find out who Kouzai is? Will Ozpin find out **_**who**_** Kouzai is? Will Neo stab Kouzai? Find out next time on Dra-wait, that's copyrighted. But in actuality, see everyone next week.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 1/20/2020**


	22. Chapter 19: Your Best Foot Forward

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Happy Monday and MLK Jr. Day to all my readers! Being back on some form of schedule seems to have helped with getting the writing out, so thankfully this chapter's got a bit more to it as well. Thanks to all my readers as well for hanging in there. I might be making the chapters a bit longer still, but the days of enormous chunks may be over for now, or at least until the narrative of canon flows with such a plot style. Also of note, for those readers who might be a fan of his work, the last chapter of Coeur Al'Aran's Forged Destiny fanfic is out. It's a pretty impressive work, along with a few of his other fics, and I look forward to reading whatever new work I'll be sharing Monday releases with next! Now for reviews.**

**R26: Thanks for the compliments on my planning, it's definitely something I wanted to maintain in the fic as a realistic, actions-have-consequences type narrative. In terms of the Torchwick/Neo fight and its result, I am of the party that believes that Roman is a very calculating type of criminal, despite seeming to love performing his own heists. As one who calculates the risks and likelihood of things, sticking around to fight a potentially prolonged battle against two unknowns after the cops have already been called doesn't seem to be worth it, especially after all the hired help was easily wiped, cutting the overall amount of dust stolen. As for Kouzai and his skillset, he's definitely learned his lesson about keeping his eyes closed for so long, and was using his eyesight and Chronometry to hold off Neo, instead of operating off Aura vision. His Aura vision is certainly more developed than those of average students, but isn't to the point where he can identify a person based off Aura alone, and instead acts as more of a marker for those that he already knows. Thanks again for the read, and I look forward to your stuff as well.**

**AlexFalTon: Yup, it was a natural conclusion for Neo to show up as backup instead of Cinder during that fight, given the characterization and progression of her character since her introduction. And a Ruby/Kouzai meeting again? Well, you have spoken.**

**Raidentensho: Again with the interesting elements that I hadn't necessarily considered yet, good on you. I'm not sure of what Kouzai's theme would be, but I'll keep that in mind. I'm not quite sure if I'll be adding music inserts into the chapters, but it's something to consider.**

**Gizmo Gear: Good to see you back. And Kouzai thinks he has his hands full right now, but just wait.**

**PyromaniacRabbit: I meant to write Kouzai's feelings as more of caution of the impending interactions with likely dozens of butterfly-inducing characters on a daily basis, instead of the usual two that he's used to. For a prepare-and-plan type like him, the pressure's definitely making itself known. And I can say at the current moment that Kouzai likely does not have the requisite preferences to throw his life into the potential minefield that is a relationship with Neopolitan.**

**HoldMyFOOF: Overkill is a very attractive option in a fight to someone like Kouzai, but we'll have to see what he comes up with in response to Corona's very painful recoil. I am quite impressed by your idea for Gravity Dust and on the technique's name though, so kudos to you for that and I hope you don't mind me using CME's if it comes up again.**

**Chapter 19: Your Best Foot Forward**

**Chapter Date: 01/20/2020**

"This…IS…AMAZING!"

"Nora, please keep your voice down. We're not the only ones on this airship, and I can say with certainty that your eardrum-rupturing decibel of loudness takes some getting used to."

"Weeellll, what does my wonderful Ren think?"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…I don't see an issue with her current sound level." Ren looked away pointedly with a blush as Nora gleefully wrapped her arms around him, the girl seemingly oblivious to the dual meaning of his statement.

_I_ didn't miss it though, and rolled my eyes at him. "Whatever you say, Mr. Avatar of patience." I took a moment to glance out the window at the view of Vale from below, managing to catch a glimpse of where Ruby and I had encountered Torchwick and _Neo_ a week prior.

'Neo showing up isn't a big deal, considering the show hadn't created her till Volume 2 anyway. It's the absence of Cinder that's got me uneasy, though. What's she up to now that her ambush was foiled?' My musings were interrupted as the window view was replaced by news reports detailing Torchwick's escape after last week's robbery, before switching segments.

"In other news, this Saturday's Faunus Civil Rights Protest turned bizarrely dark when members of the White Fang clashed with the recently-formed organization-"

"Aren't you glad you weren't around for any of this hubbub?" Nora questioned, slinging an arm over my shoulders. Given the height disparity, I was summarily dragged down as my knees buckled a little. "Just imagine if you'd gotten caught up in _fighting a criminal like Torchwick_, or facing off with the White Fang _again_…ha ha, crazy…"

'Holy _Dust_, her instincts are sharp…' My knees trembled a little as I glanced sideways at a closely-watching Ren, identical to an indifferent Ren in every physical way. "Yup, crazy. Good thing I was working on getting my eyesight back in shape, and spending all of Saturday with you guys…"

… … …

'Gotta say, still pretty impressive the second time around…' I gazed upon Beacon Academy, with all of its needlessly-extravagant marble pillars and mile-long walkway. 'Speaking of which, how on Remnant did Ruby and Jaune get lost in canon if the front door to the academy is a straight shot down a cobblestone path? And speaking of _that_, where _are_ Ruby and Jaune? Were we on different airships? Probably, now that I think about it.'

"Oh no…" I froze as _Nora_ of all people uttered those words, glancing at Ren to see him similarly resigned.

"Guys!" A moment later, and the three of us were enclosed in an embrace so tight that I had to make sure Nora wasn't the one giving it. Sure enough, she was thrashing around next to me, though with a little less wheezing than Ren and I. But it was the face of our impromptu attacker that had me losing my breath.

Blond hair still just as vibrant as when I'd seen him last, though cut shorter and neater than during his introduction in canon. Clear blue eyes still transparently earnest, with a glint of sharpness that foretold the quick mind beneath. Sturdy, high-quality bracers and plates shone brightly in the morning sun, and corded muscles filled out every inch of his frame and chased away any description of 'scraggly' or 'noodle.' But above all, one feature of his appearance stood out to me and forced me to comment.

"Really? After all this time, after all your training, you're _still_ wearing _jeans_?"

Jaune chortled, and released us from his bear hug, shrugging off threats from Nora of 'hugging trademark violations'. "It's good to see you again, Kouzai. As for my appearance, I thought it'd suit my appearance better as a more down-to-earth sort of huntsman. My better half agrees at least."

"Hello again!" From behind the now-massive frame of Jaune came the stunning sight of Pyrrha. Still the picture of a huntress, in both extravagance and deadliness, save for the leather pauldrons adorning her shoulder and unassuming bracelet on her wrist.

"PYRRHA!" The missile known as Nora Valkyrie tackled the Invincible Girl, who merely giggled and swung Nora around to bleed off the momentum. Meanwhile, Jaune and Ren smiled and nodded at each other, before turning to watch the female half of JNPR as Nora continued babbling. "Those pauldrons look _great_ on you! And the bracelet really adds a cute touch, what's it for?"

Pyrrha's cheeked tinged pink a little. "Well, after a suggestion from Jaune, I realized that it would be beneficial to have some protection against opponents whom I would be grappling or using such moves like tackling or hard falls. As for the bracelet, it was a gift from Jaune, one that I wear proudly."

'Seem's like she's not the only one,' I noted, eyeing the red sash across Jaune's waist that in canon signified a _very_ different remembrance of Pyrrha. Here, now though, it was thankfully a gift. 'And trust Jaune to come up with ways to fix some of the only holes Pyrrha had left in her fighting style. Even after having watched some of her fights, I'm not sure I would've-"

"YOU!" Four heads whipped around at the outburst as I sighed, recognizing the voice instantly before slowly turning to see a near-steaming Yang marching down the path towards us, an apprehensive and timid Ruby trailing behind and fruitlessly trying to talk Yang down. At her word, three members of JNPR looked around to see whom she was addressing, while one Nora gasped and pointed at herself.

"I'm talking to the creepy edgelord!" Nora couldn't help but start giggling at my description, and I looked down at my dark ensemble before shrugging.

"Hello again, Yang. I suppose the shoe might fit in this case, though I'd caution against thinking that edgelords corner the market on wearing all black. Now, is there something I can help you with? I don't believe we've seen each other since you decked me a week or two back, and I certainly haven't done anything to you since then." At my words, Yang's eyes flared red, and Ruby squeaked as she actively began trying to drag Yang backwards, to no avail.

"Didn't do anything to me? When something involves my sister, it sure as _hell_ involves me!" Yang raged, now on the warpath. "She told me all about what happened last week. About the robbery, about Torchwick and that other girl, and about a suspicious and rude guy in black with shades who looks and sounds _exactly like you_! So-"

"So I might've had a small part to play in the proceedings," I hurriedly cut Yang off and stepped forward, very mindful of the presence and attentive ears of JNPR behind me. "What matters is that your sister is safe and sound, and apparently here at Beacon by the looks of it. But if you've got a problem with how I handled things, you can take your complimentary punch and continue on."

"Oh, trust me, I _don't need_ your permission to _sock you_," Yang growled, deploying Ember Celica as Ruby and I paled, both of us very aware of the force of a punch aided by that weapon. Before Yang could stalk forward into range however, there was a flurry of movement as JNPR came to stand in front of me.

"I would suggest moving on without a fuss, considering the multitude of cameras set up by the school and numerous eyes watching," Ren noted casually, though with fingers against the handles of Stormflower.

"After all, it'd probably suck if your status in Beacon becomes questionable for causing a fight before the initiation even starts," Jaune added, hands on his hips with one on Crocea Mors.

"Not to mention, it would be unfortunate if you were to strike our friend, as we would have to respond in kind," Pyrrha stated, hands in front without even drifting towards a weapon. Nora, on the other hand…

THUNK

Magnhild's head hit the ground as Nora leaned against it. "Yup, hurting one of our friends is a one-or-two leg offense, depending on the severity of the hit. Even _if_ Kouzai can be a bit shady."

"Hey…" My protest was stifled as JNPR, Yang and even Ruby looked dryly at me. "Fine, fair…"

Thankfully, mercifully, Yang stepped back and retracted her gauntlets, though her eyes remained red. "Fine. You got lucky, Kouzai. But leave my sister in jeopardy again, and not even the Invincible Girl and your band of friends will stop me. C'mon, Ruby. We should head over to the auditorium."

"Wha-oh, okay…" Slowly being dragged by Yang, a regretful Ruby looked at JNPR and at me as they passed. "Sorry that you were almost punched, again, but you were kinda rude last week and I did endupgettingtakentoapolicestationandquestionedsonotsorrymaybe…"

Ruby's motormouth speech drifted away as she and Yang grew distant, leaving nothing to distract four sets of eyes from turning to me.

"Qrow, your nieces are not making this easy for me…" I muttered, momentarily focusing on Luna. 'Ok, so I haven't done myself many favors in terms of Ruby and Yang. Ruby because I wanted to avoid getting questioned by Ozpin and Goodwitch, and Yang because of knowing about Raven _and_ ditching Ruby. Both understandable, and yet both have landed me in two separate doghouses.'

Ren, with his particularly sharp senses, happened to catch my mutterings, however. "Did you mean that those two are Qrow Branwen's nieces? The ones you were told to look after?" The rest of JNPR looked at the fading figures.

"I'm not sure if 'Blonde and Busty' is someone that I'd wanna be friends with, even if her sister is adorable," Nora growled, and horrifyingly, the rest of JNPR seemed to agree.

'No no no, this is _not_ what needs to happen! I didn't think that first impressions would have that much of an impact! I can't have RWBY and JNPR hating each other! _Remnant_ can't have them hating each other, or the show might explode! Ok quick, I can turn this around. If I can get the other half of RWBY to be friendly, make nice with Ruby, and settle things with Yang-"

"Excuse me, could you all make way for others to pass? And did you just mention _Qrow Branwen_?"

'Not again…' With a hand on my face, I pivoted once again to face the speaker.

A pale white dress and matching bolero jacket framed a figure nearly as short as Nora, even in heels, with red on the jacket's inside adding a touch of color. Silver accessories were aplenty, with earrings, an apple pendant, a tiara and decorations atop her also-white boots. Sharpness defined her, with Myrtenaster hanging by the hands on her hips, as ice-blue irises had their symmetry offset by a thin scar at on eye, and an off-center ponytail. An irate Weiss Schnee glared at our group as an aide silently pushed a trolley of briefcases past us on the walkway.

An insistent slap on my back propelled my back to the front of the group, and I glared at a mischievous Nora before turning back to an impatient heiress.

"Well, my friends and I kinda helped him out about a year or so back, and I ended up giving him a bit of advice." I was sparse on the details, as I was aware of how Schnees, Winter in particular, viewed the alcoholic huntsman.

"A year ago…? You mean to tell me that you helped that ruffian trick my sister into a relationship with him?!"

…And cue my chucking out my thoughts before her statement.

My jaw dropped, and I turned back to Nora and Ren, who were just as utterly perplexed as me.

"I uh, huh whatnow?" I gaped, flummoxed by the information that'd hit with the force of a train. 'Winter and Qrow? WHEN did that happen?!'

"You are, aren't you? _You're_ the reason that charlatan has swindled his way into my sister's good graces, and why she's changed!"

"No hold on, I have no idea-"

"I want nothing to do with people like you!" Without another word, Weiss turned and strutted away, leaving JNPR and I speechless and still as stones on the path.

Jaune, of all people, was the first to regain speech capabilities, narrowing his eyes. "I _definitely_ don't like her. She's pretentious enough to be an Ice Queen."

'WHAT IS GOING ON RIGHT NOW! Nora dislikes Yang, _Jaune_ dislikes _Weiss_?! I need time to process!' Thankfully, the rest had recovered and shepherded me down the path towards the auditorium.

'At least Blake wasn't a part of that clusterfuck. An angry Weiss plus Blake plus apparently me would've been disastrous…'

… … …

Amber eyes remained focused on the group of five as they travelled down the walkway, heedless of the attention garnered off by the trees.

So the Specter, this Kouzai, had friends. After watching their interactions amongst one another, and with the pair of sisters and the Schnee, she recognized the mannerisms and voices of the other Mistralian boy and short redhead as the other two robed figures who had been present back in Kuchinashi. The blond boy was still a mystery, but Pyrrha Nikos was instantly recognizable.

So the Specter had clearly made friends, and some enemies as well. The Schnee heiress was a bit pompous for her liking, but anyone courageous enough to give one like Kouzai Higure a telling off was perhaps worth a second chance. And the seeming sisters who had spoken to the group as well were also promising, with the earnest black-haired girl piquing her curiosity. The temperamental blonde was also interesting, but if her conversation was any indication, _very_ loud and _very_ showy.

Still, there was useful information gathered from watching the Specter. Though they might both be at Beacon now, that did not make them allies, and she would be sure to watch him. Should his activities be aimed against the Faunus, she wouldn't hesitate to take action against him.

Pacing away from the trees towards the academy, she herself was oblivious to the bluish-grey eyes that were nigh-invisible against the backdrop of another tree.

… … …

'Ok, let's take a tally here. Ruby and Weiss haven't met yet, check. Ruby and Jaune haven't bonded, check. Ruby hasn't met Blake yet, check. All of RWBY hates me meaning all of JNPR hates them…check. WHAT THE HELL?!' My inner rant was silent, though not unnoticed as JNPR consoled me, likely thinking that I was despondent over having been rejected by three girls at once. All consolations ceased however as the microphone switched on.

"Ahem…I'll keep this brief." I turned to see Ozpin standing onstage as Goodwitch stood by his side, their combined gazes enough to fell any conversation and draw every eye. "You have travelled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look among you and all I see is wasted energy…"

I froze as brown eyes locked with my own, and I could tell he was looking at me.

"In need of purpose, direction. You assume that knowledge with free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." Ozpin stepped back and Glynda began explaining the details of events before tomorrow, letting me exhale a breath I didn't know I'd been holding.

"Did that speech, seem kind of off to anyone?" Jaune questioned, looking at the rest of us.

"Indeed. His mind seemed to be elsewhere, on other matters perhaps," Ren replied. Nora zipped to his side.

"OOOH, maybe he's actually planning his next move against the immortal forces of evil, or his soul was replaced!"

"HGK!"

"Kouzai, are you alright?"

"Fine, just…need some water, probably…"

… … …

"KOUZAI! Why didn't you tell us you knew Pyrrha Nikos?"

"But I did…"

"Oh sweet! I'm hanging this autograph in my room. Screw Junior and the boys, no one's getting this!"

"Ladies, perhaps you might wanna tone down the fangirling when the object of your interest is still here." I grinned as Miltia, Melanie _and_ Pyrrha all blushed, much to the pleasure of Jaune, Nora, Ren and I.

Monopolizing a section of the auditorium by the pillars, I enjoyed both the screen of friends that shielded me from yet-unknown eyes, as well as the placement of our sleeping bags that let me keep an eye on Blake reading in her yukata. And it was from there that a most puzzling phenomenon was taking place.

Blake was talking. _Voluntarily_. With Ruby, and Yang, and _Weiss_ who had walked over. Weiss, on her part, _wasn't_ blowing up at the rest of them, and Yang wasn't blowing off Weiss and Blake.

In short, team RWBY seemed to be getting along with one another _before_ the initiation.

'Whaaaat the what? Okay, that's it, I need some time to consult my journals here and figure out what the flip is going on.' I began making my way towards one of the exits, before realizing that Ozpin likely had every square inch of Beacon save for private spaces under surveillance. 'Nevermind.'

"Aaaaaalllright, it's time to start the all-night awesomest stories competition!" Nora called, drawing the attention of the other five.

"Nora, we should probably rest soon if we wish to be performing optimally tomorrow," Pyrrha gently reminded her fellow red-haired friend, to no avail.

"NEVER! I've got tons of friends now, and we're going to have tons of fun till the sun comes up!"

"Nora, no…"

"NORA, YES!"

… … …

"Ugh, the nerve of those louts! If you're going to be engaging in conversation while others may be trying to sleep, do it _quietly_!" Weiss hissed out the last word, ironically reminding Blake of a cat, before turning back to the rest of them. "As I was saying, I am impressed that Headmaster Ozpin considered you skilled enough to enter Beacon, despite being two year younger than the average applicant."

"Ehehe, thanks, but I've still got a lot to learn before I'm really caught up." Ruby blushed through the praise before facing Blake. "So Blake, you mentioned you brought a lot of books with you here to Beacon? If we both make it through initiation tomorrow, I'd be interested in any suggestions you have."

"Of course. I'd be happy to lend you some of my books, but just make sure that your sister doesn't get their hands on them, or they might end up being used as furniture support," Blake teased with a look over to Yang.

"Excuse you, dark, slim and leggy." Blake choked momentarily at Yang's description. "I'll have you know that I am a learned woman of great culture."

"Oh really?" Weiss questioned, glancing skeptically at Yang. "Name me one of the great classical composers from before the Great War."

"Uhhh…who needs them, when you've got the Achieve Men!" Yang pumped her fist in the air as Ruby and Weiss groaned.

"Those flamboyant rock artists? That's what you consider as quality music?"

"I'm slightly lost here. Who are the Achieve Men?"

"BLAKE NO!"

"BLAKE YES! Let me tell you _all_ about them!"

… … …

"Wow, you'd think that a prissy and proper heiress would do a little more to keep the conversation volume down. Goes to show that money doesn't necessarily buy you class." Melanie tossed her hair behind her.

"I'm up next in the story competition then?" Miltia questioned. "Alright, lemme tell you about the time that Mel and I were challenged by a group of frat boys to a drink-off, then beat their asses singlehandedly after they got pissy!"

'Pot, meet kettle. Or rather, finalized version, meet concept art. I can really see the Weiss in Melanie here. Though Gods help us if Ruby had turned out like Miltia.' I shuddered. 'Still, I can put off looking over the notes for _one_ night. So long as all the pairs and teams end up the way they should be, everything should be fine.

… … …

… … …

"All the potential students appear to be settling down for the night," Glynda commented, looking away from her tablet towards Ozpin.

"Excellent work as always, Glynda. And what of our special mentions?"

"They appear to have mostly congregated into two separate groups. Miss Rose, Miss Xiao Long, Miss Schnee and Miss Belladona are at one end, and appear to be getting along with one another despite the obvious potential issues and having only met today."

"Interesting…I shall review the footage before tomorrow. And our other group?"

"Mr. Arc, Ms. Valkyrie, Ms. Nikos, Mr. Lie, Ms. Malachite and Ms. Malachite, and Mr. Higure are engaging in what appears to be a competition of…exaggerated tales? They all seem to be quite comfortable with each other, and most have extensive history interacting as a group."

"As expected. Now, for our feathered friend's benefit, how did Ms. Rose and Ms. Xiao Long fare over the course of the day?"

"Both appeared quite inseparable from the other, and apart from the current conversation, had no notable interactions save for one encounter with Mr. Higure and his friends. Ms. Xiao Long appeared to be furious with the boy for his actions the night of Roman Torchwick's robbery, as well as some sort of interaction in a club."

There was the sound of a short gulp from a bottle, before Qrow's face appeared over the scroll call. "Well, the kid gets points for looking after Ruby and Yang, but negative points for being abysmal on stealth and subtlety. Overall though, glad to see he's following my request to the letter so far."

"As we all are, old friend. Now, have you found any leads as to the identity of the Specter from his movements in Mistral?"

"Nothing yet. I've been starting off with his most recent missions in Anima since they're freshest, but I'll check in if I've found anything. How're things going with Amber?"

"Ms. Autumn's performance has stabilized, and she appears to have no problems with her prosthetics. Consequently, we will be having her begin her new task at the earliest."

"Good. More than likely, she's probably going a little stir-crazy after all the rehab and from being cooped up. I'll be signing off now, but give Amber my regards." Qrow ended the call and Ozpin turned to look at Glynda, who rolled her eyes and caused him to chuckle.

"Yes, perhaps she is a tad energetic…"

… … …

"AAAAAAHHH! GHHH…"

"Well, Cinder? How does it feel?"

"It's…an emptiness…GHK…it _burns, like hunger_…"

"Goood…and what do you think of that?"

"…I like it…"

**A/N: There we go, two episodes down instead of one. I'm planning on finishing the events of Volume 1 around the end of April. Since some of the Volume can be covered quite quickly, this allows for some slower pacing and fluff, along with development, to occur. In addition, as noted above, I'll likely be bringing the length of the chapters back to a more stable amount.**

**Sooo, yeah. Turns out, for all the right reasons, some of which he wasn't even aware of, his relationship with Team RWBY is on the rocks before it even starts. As for what this means for things between RWBY and JNPR, we'll have to see. Thanks again, and see everyone next week!**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 01/27/2020**


	23. Chapter 20: It Takes Two

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Happy Monday to everyone, and Happy Chinese New Year to those that celebrated it. And though I am not an avid fan of the sport, I would still like to say that the sudden death of basketball superstar Kobe Bryant was a great loss of life, and something that will be felt for a long time. Getting this chapter done was tough with both classes and work kicking my ass, so sorry for the late release, but hopefully the writing is still up to snuff. Now for reviews, and finally, finally to the initiation.**

**HoldMyFOOF: Silly you, a plain old foxhole wouldn't save you if both groups were fighting one another within five miles of you. It'd likely take something the level of a presidential bunker to stay protected. As for your late night science calculations, I definitely appreciate the idea, we'll have to see if it ends up fitting into the story. Hopefully your sleep-deprivation was self-imposed and harmless, 'cause I know how much insomnia can suck at times.**

**Raidentensho: They say there's nothing that causes faster bonding and following of orders than having to fight for your lives. Chances are though that Kouzai will try to get things patched up before it gets to that point though.**

**Bartholomew Black: Glad you think it's awesome, I'll do my best to make it so. Having fleshed-out characters should make the RWBY-JNPR dynamic more vivid than in canon, regardless of how their daily interactions go in the beginning.**

**R26: I did toy around with the idea of swapping up the partner assignments just to make things seem fresh, but I think that some of the appreciation of the subtle and less-than-subtle waves Kouzai has made might go unseen in terms of how different RWBY and JNPR could be. Also, Kouzai would likely try to do everything in his power not to rock the boat when it comes to the pairings, be it for logical reasons or to keep the Big 4 pairs together. As we all know though, no plan survives first contact.**

**PyromaniacRabbit: You make some goods, and it's true that Kouzai does plan to a perhaps excessive degree. Part of the contradiction though, and what makes him more personable, is that he is inherently aware that near-all of his advantages are quickly disappearing now that canon has arrived. Making expected changes as a result of your own plans is unsurprising, but it becomes tough to extrapolate new plans that arise from the chaos of those changes. Information like character personalities is extremely useful to him, but when those personalities appear to have undergone a drastic shift, it requires some deep thinking to figure out whether that information is still useful, and whether or not you're still the one in the driver's seat.**

**Oblivious IJ: I'm slightly concerned as to how that conclusion was drawn. In all seriousness though, I was referencing a conversation between Cinder and Salem back in Volume 3, with a couple twists thrown in.**

**AlexFalTon: Yeah, that change is one that was low on the priority ladder, and definitely outside the range of Kouzai's expectations. As for Weiss' reaction, I envision it as a kind of 'overprotective sibling' reaction, given that Qrow Branwen as we know him is not the most…elegant and refined of individuals. Just like in Volume 1 though, she'll likely find out that perfection is overrated when it comes to the expectations of others and herself. And I also read that fic as well, love how it's a fanfic of a fanfic. Now, are there individuals among RWBY and JNPR who may be considered mature?...Maybe. Do all eight of them have short fuses at times? Most definitely.**

**Rafafalafa: Apologies for the disorientation you experienced from my writing style. I am aware that some have considered the path this story has taken to be convoluted, confusing and perhaps downright incorrect. I believe that this fic's eccentricities add to it, instead of diminishing it. Hopefully you manage to come back to this fic once the dissonance has settled, but your feedback has been taken into account. It is about time for a tweaking of the fic description, so I might add a little something about the timelines in there. **

**Explosives Guest: Orbital bombardment does tend to solve most problems pretty well. However, to say the least, there are very few places on Remnant that Kouzai could hide where such a thing wouldn't drastically endanger his chances of survival.**

**Guest: I will assume, perhaps incorrectly, that two reviews were left by the same guest. In any event, thanks for the read and reviews, and I also hope this story's following continues to grow. As both a reader and now a writer, I can safely say that I'm quite torn now on the concept of artists and authors requiring a week between releases.**

**Van Der Linde: Well, Kouzai is the type of person that tends to walk the path less taken. When confronted by Yang both times, a hands-down fight would be the most common response to her actions. However, besides the uncertainty of whether Kouzai could even beat Yang, there's also the potential repercussions of such a thing and the question of whether it's even necessary in the first place. Better to take a punch if it'll make the argument go away, unless that punch happens to be spewing shotgun pellets. When it comes to certain characters like Raven, Adam and Cordo, Kouzai has little issue with taking the fight right to them on their turf. When it comes to more central characters like RWBY and JNPR though, he likely considers perpetuating any issues with them to be more trouble than it's worth.**

**Gizmo Gear: Well, I guess even when I'm slowing the pacing down, I'm still moving things along fast. And judging by the antics of ones like Qrow, Winter, Adam, etc., moodiness seems to extend well beyond the age of teenagers. As for anything you'd like to comment, I'll take it whether it's witty or not.**

**BrxkenArrow: Sorry if the start didn't turn out the way you were looking for, but I guess that what comes after it has been decently well-received. Hopefully what I've written so far is good enough to change your tune.**

Chapter 20: It Takes Two

Chapter Date: 01/27/2020

_beep_

With the soft sound of my alarm, my eyes snapped open from beneath my shades, and I sat up to the brightening skies of Vale.

'Probably have seconds before…' I turned my head to catch an also-awakening Ren.

"Wake up lazy buds! It's morning, it's morning, it's morning, it's mooooorning!" And an already-awake Nora.

"Noooooo…"

"Five more hours..."

'And that's Miltia and Melanie up.' I noted the two miserable twins near me before regarding the hyperactive orange-haired girl. "Nora, how long have you been awake if you're already in your combat outfit?"

"Hey, Ren's already in his combat outfit too!" Nora replied, pointing at her tailcoat-and-white-pants-clad boyfriend.

"Yeah, but Ren's clothes are breathable enough to sleep in, which he did," I pointed out. Doing a quick sweep around me, I noticed that Pyrrha and Jaune were missing from our ensemble. "Where did our resident power couple get off to?"

"Oh, Pyrrha mentioned that she was planning to get some morning stretches in, and Jaune said he needed to get in a warmup jog," Nora recited.

"Hahhhh…ten Lien says they went to bang."

"Melanie! Don't be so crass…but yes, they likely snuck off."

"You won't see me taking that bet," I joked, taking note of the blush on Nora's face and quickly-reddening hue of Ren's. 'Guess they haven't gotten there themselves just yet.'

"It would be best if we saw to our own morning routines as well. I'm sure Jaune and Pyrrha will meet back up with us on their own time, whether it's individually or together." Ren managed to fight down his blush and start making his way towards the showers, eyed by a not-so-subtle Nora.

A quick shower later, and all of us were back in our combat outfits as we repacked our sleeping arrangements.

"Miltia, Melanie. You're both _still_ wearing your dresses as your combat outfits?" I asked, exasperated at the showy attire both huntresses-in-training had on, which was a step above even what normal students chose to wear.

"Hey, nothing says that we can't kick ass and look good while doing it," Melanie countered, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Besides, we already had our outfits remade with Huntsmen-grade fabrics and incorporated the modifications that you suggested we have."

"And oh, what a painful sacrifice you must've made," I breezed. Any further jabs were summarily forgotten as we entered the cafeteria, and I was introduced to a room with a ceiling nearly as ridiculously high as the Great Hall. Adding to the comparison was the frankly comical line of food by the wall, with foods for all mealtimes present in equally massive proportion. Including…

"PANCAKES!"

Nora was gone from our sides in seconds, along with an involuntarily-towed Ren, appearing by the stacks of flapjacks almost at the other end of the room.

"Does her appetite have any limit?" Miltia asked, mostly rhetorically as the twins shook the last of the sleep from their eyes.

"When it comes to pancakes, no," I put it simply. "When it comes to other foods…also no."

"Some people just get lucky, with semblances that convert calories into pure speed or muscle-strengthening electricity," Melanie pouted. "Or, you know, get semblances at all."

Both twins looked glum, and I drew upon my well of experiences of sucking compared to Nora and Ren. "A semblance isn't such a big deal in the grand scheme of things for a huntsman or huntress. Things like combat abilities, knowledge, strategy and teamwork are more important in the field, and for you both to be accepted for Beacon's initiation means that you've got a pretty solid foundation even without a semblance. Well, except for the knowledge part."

"Jerk." Both twins punched my shoulders, then left for the buffet line with slight grins on their face. Rolling out my shoulders, I went to join them, grabbing a modest amount of food before heading to the table that Nora had claimed as her kingdom. By this point, Pyrrha and Jaune had seemingly appeared out of the aether to join the group.

"I still have no idea how you can stand eating only that much, especially with Aura's increased metabolism," Jaune commented, his plate stacked to chin level and at odds with Nora's tower of pancakes.

"Ahh, save it Vomit Boy," I grumbled, letting Jaune take the hit for a moment before laying it on. "I've already had this debate with Nora about a hundred times. Simply put, I'm of the party that works better when they're feeling just a bit of hunger, instead of being stodgy and slow. Besides, not all of us can be walking tanks that are banging on the regular."

I took the satisfaction of watching all of JNPR redden with great aplomb, as Miltia and Melanie snickered on my side of the table. Leaning down to take a mouthful of food, I heard Melanie's laughter die swiftly, and glanced at Miltia to see her also silent with her lips pursed in disapproval.

"What'd I miss?" I asked, raising my heading and peering around the great wall of Jaune at the cafeteria's entrance. There, at the doorway, walked in the four color-coded characters of RWBY. Similar to Nora, Ruby took one look at the piles of breakfast desserts available before speeding away, a protesting Weiss in arm. Yang was left chuckling, and behind her stood a smiling Blake, whose eyes swept the room for an empty table, before passing over and then returning squarely to my figure. I smiled what I hoped was disarmingly, but was predictably met with eyes that nearly turned to slits before the cat Faunus nodded slowly. Nodding in return, I watched Blake distract Yang away from searching the room as well before returning to my food, only then noticing that the table had gone silent in favor of staring at me.

"Uhh, is there something in my teeth?" I tried playing off the non-verbal exchange I'd just shared, but it appeared that six pairs of eyes weren't having it.

"Who was the broody girl standing by Tits McGee?" Melanie asked without preamble, and I had to stifle any laughter I might've had at Yang's description.

"Not sure. I just happened to see her, and I guess Yang and the others must've told her all about me, but she seemed amicable enough to try and avoid direct confrontation."

Nora groaned, leaning back with a hand over her eyes. "You've only been at Beacon for twenty-four hours, and you've already gotten four girls to hate you, one of whom you clearly have some kind of shady prior history with. Who else in our year are you going to alienate from our group? Poor Kouzai is gonna end up all alone at this rate!"

"Yeah yeah, laugh it up," I said, taking the jab in stride. 'At least it drew the attention away from _how_ I know her, for now at least.'

… … …

"For years, you have trained to become warriors. And today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." I tuned out Ozpin temporarily, opting instead to focus on looking up and down the line at the other individuals on the launch pads. Towards the right were the majority of teams RWBY, JNPR and CRDL, while to the left were the twins, the rest of CRDL and others I didn't recognize.

'I guess that means _we're_ the silhouettes from Volume 1,' I joked mentally as I returned my gaze back to Ozpin and Glynda in time for the explanation on partners.

"Each of you will be given teammates…today." An impressively audible whimper came from Ruby, though she seemed more reassured when Ozpin added the part about finding others with whom you could work well.

'Wait for it…'

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years." I could almost hear the proverbial glass shattering, but the mutterings down the line on the left side were more insistent.

"This guy's nuts!" Melanie hissed, looking past Miltia at me. I could only shrug in response.

"Or, just really bored," I supplied, watching both twins get even paler than their natural skin color. 'With an immortal like Ozma, who knows what the reason is. Though given our placement order on these pads, there's likely less chance than we think."

"It's a good thing we had those modifications you suggested," Miltia added, and I held a finger to my lips, both as a clue to continue listening to Ozpin, and to avoid either of the twins from giving anything too important away.

WHOOM

Down the line the launch pads began activating, sending the trainees hurtling through the air.

"Good luck, you two. Remember what I said, and you should find each other without much issue." Both twins nodded dumbly in response, lost for words at the spectacle of watching over a dozen teenagers fly through the air at this point. "Oh, and remember what I said about a landing strategy? Yeah, this is the application."

"What? You never said-"

WHOOM

"Oh, you sonofa-"

WHOOM

'Ah, here we-'

WHOOM

'Gooooooooooo…' I righted myself, but still experienced the sensation of vertigo at being _hundreds_ of feet in the air. 'You know, it _has_ been over a year since I've last practiced my landing strategy, considering that I've been going without my eyesight for so long. Soooooo, I really hope this works.' Now descending at literal breakneck speeds, I guessed I had maybe five seconds before impact. In preparation, I pulled Mirror's Edge from behind and Aura-reinforced it. Flaring my Aura towards Burst and Chronometry as well, the world slowed as a clump of thinner trees approached.

'Gods, I hope this hurts less than Pyrrha made it look.' I leaned towards my left side, letting my armored left arm lead behind Mirror's Edge.'

CRACK

BANG

THUD

Finally coming to a stop against the third tree, I yanked Mirror's Edge out of the bark and pushed the point into the large branch beneath me, leaning heavily against it for a moment. 'Owwwww…maybe I need to invest in more armor.' Slowly straightening, I sheathed my weapon and looked out over the maze of branches and leaves at my current level, watching the blurs of colors fly by overhead.

'Ok…managed to land pretty early into the forest…now, let's do a little surveillance…'

… … …

"Gotta find Yang, gotta find Yang, gotta find…YAAAAANNNGGG!" Ruby dashed through the undergrowth thoughts awhirl after the massive Dust bomb that Headmaster Ozpin had dropped before launch.

What kind of a partner system was eye contact? Was this a prank? Were all the professors laughing it up together back on the cliffs? Or was it some form of test on top of the actual test?

"Gotta think of who to find besides Yang…there's Blake. She's nice, if a little quiet at times…there's Kouzai. But I think Yang and him would end up killing each other if we got partnered up…ok, there's Yang, there's Blake, not Kouzai…who else does I know?" Dashing through a thicket of pushes, she came upon a clearing, and there, in the middle, a shock of white in the scenery of brown and green.

"WWWEEEEEIIIISSSSS!"

Weiss turned quickly, but not fast enough to avoid the high-speed human projectile that was Ruby Rose, one colliding with the other and almost knocking the heiress over.

"GAAAAHH! What on Remnant do you think you're doing, you dolt? You nearly ruined my outfit, and surely gave away our position to any Grimm nearby!"

"Don't care! I got partnered up with someone I like, and that's all that matters!" Ruby exclaimed happily, arms locked around Weiss' neck. Weiss went through a cycle of expressions, too fast to process, before her lips curved for a fraction of a second.

"Hmph…I'll overlook your childishness this time, if only for the fact that you're aware of how wonderful a partner you've ended up with…"

Any further conversation was put off as growls came from around the clearing, and Ruby let go of Weiss to deploy Crescent Rose. Weiss took her fencing position and pulled out Myrtenaster, before glancing to the side at Ruby's weapon.

"Curious…I've only ever seen one other scythe wielder before. Tell me, would you happen to know of a vagabond named Qrow Branwen?"

"I don't know what vagabond means, but he's my uncle!"

"WHAT!?"

… … …

'Damn this Ursa, damn the Grimm, damn that _smug edgelord_!' Yang finished off the Ursa across from her with a barrage of fiery punches, and the Grimm crashed into the ground. A roar behind Yang had her wheeling around to face her other opponent.

"What? You want some too?" Yang readied her pose, but before the Ursa could start charging, it jerked forward a step, before falling rigidly on its front. Trailing from the Ursa's neck was a sickle linked to a long ribbon, the end of which led into a slender girl dressed in black, white and purple.

"I had that," Yang pouted, releasing Burn and returning to a calmer, lilac-eyed state.

"Of course you did," Blake nodded sagely, smirking just to tease the blonde. "But we do have an initiation to get to, and I'd rather that my partner not tire herself out from bulldozing her way through every obstacle."

"Hey, I'm stronger than a bulldozer." Yang crossed her arms, and Blake's eyes trailed below her face for a moment. "And, you know, much better built and _bearing_."

"Woe is me…I have a self-flatterer and a terrible punner as a partner." Blake rolled her eyes, before yanking Gambol Shroud back to her hand. "The temple should be in this direction. We should be able to get there in-"

"Just a second." Yang's voice, neither playful nor rageful, took on a serious quality, which by itself clued Blake in. "I had something to ask you."

"Is now the time for small talk? We had plenty of that last night." The back of Blake's head tingled, and her instincts were telling her that what stood in front of her was no longer a boisterous social butterfly, but a sharp-witted predator.

"I couldn't help but notice that staredown you had with, _Kouzai_, earlier. Care to elaborate with a little context?"

Blake managed not to flinch, but was moments away from breaking out in a cold sweat. She could either tell her partner the truth, and risk Kouzai, the Specter, going to the authorities about what he knew, which was clearly too much. Or, she could lie to her partner and defend the suspicious Mistralian.

"…I…"

… … …

"Your swordplay has improved immensely, Jaune!"

"Well, four years training under a Huntsman dad and a Huntress sister will do that for you. I can't help but notice that you're moving a little sluggishly though. I _am_ one up right now."

"_Well_, I guess your performance outside of combat has improved as well. I assumed that you would enjoy, having your confidence bolstered, but if you're so insistent on competing, then…"

TSING

WHOOSH

BANG

In a blur, the remaining three Beowolves around the couple faded into ash, and Pyrrha turned with a hand on her hip to face her slack-jawed boyfriend.

"I believe I'm now two up then." Pyrrha smiled with radiant mirth, and Jaune stiffened, grabbing his sword from the fading body of another Grimm before turning back.

"Ahem…we should keep moving. Given that the land around us is close to the mountainside, the temple's likely…that way."

"Whatever you say, Fearless Leader."

"Don't you start now, I'm _still_ trying to get Nora to drop that nickname."

"I'm afraid yours is a fruitless pursuit, Jaune. Even Kouzai hasn't been able to rid himself of the ones that Nora has assigned him over the years."

"Hah…you're right. At least mine isn't as bad as his are…oh, you think this cave leads anywhere?"

"Given the markings on the outside, it leads right to a Grimm."

"Yeaaahhh, don't know how I missed that. I wonder if anyone has stumbled onto it yet?"

… … …

"HA HA! I _told you_ we should have a secret signal! And no one else suspected our sloth sounds, and look! We're partners!"

"Nora, I believe that Kouzai was the one who suggested that we have secret signals. He also suggested it years ago."

"Yeah, but he _didn't_ suggest that the signal should be _sloth sounds_! That's all Nora genius!"

"Yes Nora…"

The duo travelled through the woods, mindful of any Grimm around. Thankfully, the King Taijitu that Ren had fought appeared to have carved out this section of the Emerald Forest as his territory, as signs of other animals or Grimm were sparse.

"UGH! This is too much walking! Why did Ozpin shoot us so far away from the temple?"

"It wouldn't be much of an initiation test if it wasn't in some way difficult."

"Yeah, but this isn't hard, it's _boring_! OOH, we should find ourselves a ride to the temple!"

"Nora, we're in the middle of a forest."

"EXACTLY! Do you know what that means?!" A low growl resounded out as an Ursa lumbered from around a grove of trees, as Nora grinned and Ren paled in equal measure.

"NORA NO."

"NORA YES!" Nora deployed Magnhild in hammer mode, and rocketed forward towards the Ursa. "NORAAAAA-"

BANG

In a blast of Fire Dust, the Ursa flew away into a tree, where it began fading from the skull-breaking shot to the head. Crestfallen, Nora looked to the side, where a surprised Yang and Blake stood feet away. Surprise quickly turned to annoyance.

"Oh, it's you guys. You're welcome." Yang attempted to pass around a still Nora, but the shaft of Magnhild appeared in her path.

"You…_you_…you killed Mr. Cuddles!" Nora took a violent step forward, and the ground shook from her footfall.

"What the _hell's_ your problem? It's a _Grimm_!" Yang, already irritated from prior events, felt Burn rising back up to the surface, and across from the advancing hammer wielder, her irritation found another outlet. "Fine, you crazy half-pint! You want a fight, you'll find one!"

… … …

"Ugh, missions better not all involve this much walking! My Aura will run out before we even find this temple."

"You're also wearing bladed heels in the middle of a forest, Melanie," Miltia pointed out, gesturing to the Aura-reinforced heels preventing the blades from sinking into the softer parts of the earth.

"Having those color-coded Dust rounds really saved us though, can't imagine having one of those side characters down the line being my partner for the next four years." Melanie continued strutting forward, mindful of whether or not any Grimm were around.

"That is true, it would've been hard to find each other with all these tall trees around otherwise," Miltia murmured, checking her current Aura levels. "Though since neither of us have too much Grimm combat experience, that group of Beowolves was tougher than they should've been."

"Yeah, well, wait till we get to combat class where we'll be facing other people. We'll be racking up the points then." Melanie grinned, then almost tripped as her heels encountered some bumpy ground. "_Damnit_! Mil, we need to find a place to stop for a second, I've gotta adjust my heel length or I'll be faceplanting into the ground. Hmm…how about that cave over there?"

"Couldn't you just adjust your heels here?"

"Yeah, 'cept for the fact that it's out in the middle of the open. With a cave, even if a Grimm is stupid enough to waltz in while we're in there, it's a natural choke point to defend. And who knows, it might be a shortcut to the temple."

"It sounds like _someone_ has been brushing up on their strategy reading."

"Oh shut up! It's not like I'm the only one who's been doing extra reading."

… … …

'Alright, that should be the last of the pairs secured.' I shifted from my spot in the trees, watching Jaune and Pyrrha head off towards the temple. 'So unless Ozpin works some crazy logic in, RWBY and JNPR should be secured.'

Making my way down from the treetop, I hit the ground and stretched my muscles. 'Sneaking is not my forte, and tracking down four pairs is quite a workout in of itself. I should probably start tackling the initiation myself, though finding a partner should be interesting.'

Having seen the flares of red and white that rose above the canopy earlier, I knew that Miltia and Melanie had likely found one another, which left me singled out among the candidates. 'Gods know I'm not inserting myself into CRDL if my life depended on it, which leaves me the odd man out. Well, having a stranger who I know nothing about could end up interesting. I won't need to plan around them, and they'll have no idea of what my normal habits or actions are like, leaving me free to move about. The only question is, how am I going to find-'

"Kouzai."

I stopped walking, and did a Chronometry-aided scan of my vision, along with trying to mentally recall the scenery as I passed it. Nothing stood out, which only meant that _she_ had gotten better at hiding. 'Though that shouldn't surprise me…'

"I have to say, I didn't expect to see you here, though maybe that's just an oversight on my part." Tongue in cheek, I slowly turned to find the source of the voice that I'd not heard in over two years, leaning against the trunk of a nearby tree.

"Hey Ilia."

… … …

… … …

"So whattya think they're up at the moment?"

"Hmm…given their habits, and the fact that they apparently met the night before initiation, I'd wager that Weiss is finding out how impractical a combat dress colored _white_ can be."

"That checks out. The pipsqueak is probably running around scared shitless, tryna find someone who she can talk to without her crippling social awkwardness popping up."

"In short, Weiss and Ruby will likely become partnered and cause all sorts of trouble for us?"

"Yup. Plus, I can't wait to find out what happens when they find out the kid was indirectly responsible for us getting together."

"To have an aggravated Weiss, and a pouting Ruby to contend with…I would only wish such a fate upon my worst enemies."

"Once upon a time, that list coulda included me."

"Yes, well, you have a penchant for being infuriatingly endearing despite your habits."

"…I'll take it. Anyways, I gotta sign off, Oz is gonna want a report soon and these leads won't track themselves down."

"Take care, Qrow…and do return soon."

"Love ya too."

… … …

"You can't tell me it doesn't unsettle you a little."

"I didn't peg you as the type to get jelly-legged so easily. Then again, that kind of thing isn't possible for you is it?

"I'm sure you're the expert, considering how you go weak in the knees every time 'Cinder graces you with her presence'."

"Shut up Mercury!...Anyways, what has you so scared? We knew what kind of people we'd be dealing with, considering how Cinder explained about the glove and the ability to control Grimm."

"There's a difference between controlling the Grimm, and _being_ controlled by them, and being _part-Grimm_! That arm and eye of Cinder's, not to mention those calls she's been having with _her_ boss…"

"There's nothing in her recent actions to even hint that she's not in control of herself. And this is Cinder we're talking about! She's the strongest woman either of us have ever met."

"Strongest woman, sure. Maybe even one of the strongest, period. But Cinder _is_ following someone else, which means something drew her in. And her boss, is not a woman, or even _human_. Maybe it's 'cause I'm not head over heels for her like you, Emerald, but something's changed."

"Not that I believe you, but even if that were true, we're already this far in, and all the power's on this side of things. Sticking with Cinder is the best way to never want for anything again, and you know that."

"Maybe…maybe not…"

**A/N: Alright! Another piece in place. We've got the pairs set up, and in conventional order of course. I'm not trying to play the 5-D chess that is swapping the teams up on top of working the timeline changes. But regardless, things are starting to come to a head, for all parties. At this rate, next chapter is going to be the kind that makes my fingers hurt from typing.**

**Also, feel free to provide feedback on this type of narrative style. It's been mostly Kouzai's POV up until now, but with an exponentially greater number of characters on hand at the same time now, things might be changing in order to give a better view of events for the main characters. Thanks again, and see everyone on Monday.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 02/03/2020**


	24. Chapter 21: Miss The Forest For The Tree

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: So much work…so much writing…not enough sleep…In all seriousness though, hope everyone had a good weekend, and hopefully people didn't lose too much money over Superbowl bets. In other news, I see that this story has surpassed 300 followers! I'm sometimes surprised that over 300 people are reading my writing weekly. Thanks to everyone who's helped shape this story in some shape or form, and hopefully I can keep to the promise that things are only getting better from here on out. Now for reviews.**

**Bartholomew Black: Yup, the idea was to let Ilia fade out for a bit, before bringing her back to the fore. As for the potential Blake and RWBY hate, you can bet that there'll be some interesting events unfolding that didn't happen in canon.**

**HoldMyFOOF: Well, I can definitively say that there's nothing wrong with overkill, so long as it doesn't infringe on other things. In Kouzai's case, he'd certainly try for overkill if he could, but there isn't a whole lot of time until all the balls start dropping.**

**AlexFalTon: Thanks for the props, we'll have to see how that partnership goes. To answer your question, I considered a few choices as Kouzai's partner, but came back to Ilia because of the potential dynamic between the two and ease to fit her in the story. And I'm also clueless as to what sloths sound like.**

**Raidentensho: You know, I didn't even consider the Fate series as references, but with all the mythology references in there, I suppose I'll be giving it a look now. In terms of using a bow, I think that having Mirror's Edge and Corona is enough ranged options for him. At least for now. And as for Coco and the twins, I expect that to be quite the interesting encounter, when that actually happens.**

**Gobert600: Interesting thought, but I'll be keeping Ilia's preferences as they are in the show. Fear not though, for there are others in line. **

**PyromaniacRabbit: Thanks for the feedback, I also considered the viewpoints as something to use sparingly. It's good to know that the pacing thus far has been fine, and good on you for guessing that Ilia was going to be the fourth.**

**Explosives Guest: Well, I'm sure that it's something that the Brother Gods or Primordia could consider.**

**R26: Much woe will befall Kouzai if anything close to that ever occurs. As for the writing, much thanks for the confirmation, and rest assured that this chapter's a bit more of a return to form. And work and classes are quite time-consuming as well.**

**Guest: I believe that pre-Beacon Yang, possessing all the temper shown in episodes with none of the caution instilled by Adam, tends to fly off the handle a little quicker than after the Fall. After Kouzai both indirectly insulted Raven during their first meeting, and later "abandoned" Ruby during the Torchwick fight, Yang likely would have trouble keeping calm after two of her berserk buttons have been pushed. At least Kouzai didn't mess with her hair.**

**Van Der Linde: With tactics and preparation, Kouzai could certainly handle most of what Yang has to offer if a fight ever occurred. The underlying issue is that he doesn't really want a fight with the main characters of RWBY, both because of himself and because RWBY is supposed to be friends with JNPR. As for their overall strength level, I believe that although life-threatening battles can drastically raise the skills of those who overcome such odds, the bulk of their training is still the primary factor. While Kouzai, Nora and Ren were training with one another and generally becoming more skilled, they still lack the quality of training that comes with being taught by superior mentors. With Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Pyrrha and Jaune being taught by Huntsmen and professionals of the highest caliber, and Blake being taught by Adam himself, there's only so much that an amateur fighter with knowledge of future fighting styles can do to raise his and his friends' skill levels. In a profession like being a Huntsmen, where dangerous situations are the bread and butter of the job, having experienced such battles means less when nearly every student has likely gone through various battles against the Grimm.**

Chapter 21: Miss The Forest For The Trees

Chapter Date: 02/03/2020

Light grey eyes with a hint of blue gazed at my shades, and likely past them into my silver irises.

'No reason to keep my partner in the dark about that one though.' I lowered my sunglasses for a moment and let my silver pupils show to the outside world. Ilia's eyes widened in surprise, which I took advantage of to fire the opening question.

"How long have you been watching me? I thought I was being pretty careful with keeping out of Blake's sight, but I guess my stealth still needs work." Just another reminder that I was still far from a master in too many aspects. For now though, better to focus on the matter at hand.

Ilia's expression turned sheepish, which was amusing to see for the first time. "Only a day or so. I saw your…confrontation with Weiss Schnee and those sisters. I also saw Blake watching you in the background, so I had to wait until initiation started for you to leave her sight."

"Well, I'm flattered that you had your eye on me for that long, but aren't you, well…Blakesexual?" Her jaw fell open at my blunt statement of her preferences. Which also begged another question. "Also, have you spoken to her at all since you left? Because I had a lovely run-in with her a few months back, and she seemed quite disgruntled with the Specter that one of her best friends had left. So namely, she kind of hates my guts at the moment."

That seemed to knock her out of her shock, only for her to shake her head. "She doesn't…hate you, per se. It's more…cautious dislike."

"How exactly does Blake not hate me?"

"If she did, she'd switch tactics from trying to spy on you to actively trying to stop you, or getting as far away from you as possible."

"…Fair point." suppose that answered a couple questions, leaving me with about a thousand. However, there were other pressing concerns at the moment, least of which was that we were both in the middle of the Emerald Forest, likely surrounded by Ozpin's cameras. "We've got an initiation to get to, so we might as well do this while walking. I assume you know which way the temple is as well?"

With an eyebrow raise the likes of which Weiss, Blake, and even Glynda would've been proud of, we set off towards the temple, with me internally glad that I actually had the direction correct after all the time spent tracking the other pairs.

"So, haven't seen you for a couple years." I kept my eyes peeled for any of Ozpin's cameras and other Grimm, but both were either scarce supply or very well hidden. "What led you to Beacon? It didn't necessarily seem like becoming a huntress was the direction you were heading in when we last met."

Ilia's gaze also remained on the path ahead, though she seemed to be more reflective than I'd been. "I've…spent a lot of time travelling, and seeing Remnant. The people, the places, even the Grimm. And, after all that…I still haven't given up on my goal of helping the Faunus. I've just seen that there's more than one explanation for why inequality still exists, and it's not just human supremacists or heartless corporations. Maybe as a huntress, I'll be able to bridge the divide, and hopefully without all the hate and horror that came with my actions before."

I nodded, mindful of digesting what she'd said and thinking of how to word things. "So you were open about your status on your application to Beacon then?"

"Yes. I once had the opportunity to hide amongst humans, but I see that it didn't do me or them any good to hide who I was." Ilia's eyes cleared, and for a moment turned a deeper, more vibrant blue. "I'll change people's perception of the Faunus, and I'll do it as a Faunus."

"Well, it's not the only thing you changed," I commented, noting the chameleon Faunus' new hairstyle, which had her tail-like ponytail cut in favor of shoulder-length brown locks. In addition, her attire of the black tailjacket and maroon jeans now also sported an elbow-length black glove, upon which had a silver bracer equipped onto her forearm. Lightning Lash, hanging from a holster on her back, also appeared slightly different, with four canisters instead of two, all appearing to be different colors.

My once-over was far from subtle even with sunglasses on, and Ilia smirked for the first time today, holding up the bracer and Lightning Lash. "I've worked on expanding my arsenal a bit in the past couple years. Even though I kept a low profile while travelling, some situations required a…heavier approach. And after that brush with the short red-haired one and her lightning semblance, I learned my lesson and added some variety to the Dust at my disposal."

I chuckled for a moment, remembering and likely failing to understand the sheer terror Ilia must've experienced while fighting an angry, High Voltage-powered Nora. Then her words prompted remembrance of another conversation topic. "So, about our mutual friend, I think-"

BOOM

THUD

BANG

CRASH

Ilia and I looked at the smoke rising from the direction of the temple, then at each other, but I had far more of an idea of what was likely happening than her. "We'll save that topic for later. For now, why don't we see if anyone might need a bit of help getting out of sticky situations?"

"Yup, that's fine by me," Ilia replied too quickly, looking away and confirming my suspicions that she was aware of the Blake-sized bullet she'd just dodged. We both dashed through the forest, Ilia more than a match for me in agility, and drew closer to the source of the noises and explosions. As we did, Ilia cocked her head sideways. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear wha-"

"STAND STILL, PINT-SIZE!"

"Yup, I can hear it." I deadpanned for a moment, before my brows furrowed. "Wait…that's Yang's voice…what on Remnant is she fighting to call it…pint-size…"

"AT LEAST I'M NOT A STRIPPER HALF-ASSING A COWGIRL COSTUME!"

"Hah, nevermind…" I sighed, then nearly shattered my eyelids from opening them so fast. "Oh _Dust_…_Yang_ is fighting _Nora_…oh gods, we have to move. Ilia, come on!"

I streaked forward, and began to see brief flashes of bright red and pink explosions past the trees, some of which were now shattered and lifeless on the ground. 'Oh good, they're both in rare form as well…'

With a low factor of Burst, I beat Ilia to the temple clearing, landing past the trees and surveying what I was prepared to see as a desolate wasteland of carnage. I wasn't that far off.

Both powerhouses of RWBY and JNPR were locked in blow-for-blow combat, with Yang throwing shotgun blasts from Ember Celica and Nora shooting grenades from Magnhild. Every so often, the clouds would disperse as both girls rocketed towards one another, launching their weapons forward in an aim to pulverize the other. Ember Celica would meet Magnhild in a clash of thunderous proportions, and I saw Ilia wince from the shockwave, before both Yang and Nora were thrown back, as both looked ready to continue the cycle after regaining their footing. And unfortunately, that wasn't even the worst part.

Off to the side, _Blake_ and _Ren_ warily circled one another, with Gambol Shroud and Stormflower both at the ready but not being used for trading gunfire. If either agile fighter attempted to move towards their partner or partner's opponent, the other would close in and forcefully clash their blades to arrest all movement.

"Oh, this…this' bad in _various ways_…" I groaned to the air in general, though a sideways glance showed that Ilia had joined me without so much as a word. She too was looking at the increasingly-growing battlefield and its combatants. "Okay, We need to nip this in the bud before we attract more Grimm, or Goodwitch and Ozpin will get so fed up with our unprofessionalism that we fail the initiation."

"And you want to get in the middle of that?" Ilia pointed at the veritable minefield that was Yang and Nora bulldozing their way around the clearing. Then she pointed at the whirlwind of blades that was Blake and Ren. "Or did you mean _that_? Or both? I _am_ rather curious to see in how deep a hole you'll likely land yourself in with those girls."

I paled at the thought, but then the spark of genius that was perhaps emulating Primordia lit up, as I turned to Ilia with a smirk on my face. "Or, or…we can _both stop these fights from going on any further_."

Ilia's eyes bugged out slightly, ironically looking more like a chameleon than she did in the show, and stared at Ren, _Blake_, and _NORA_ in increasing amounts of horror. "I don't think _any_ part of that is a good idea. I'd rather not meet Blake until-"

"Until she gets eaten by a Grimm because of her underlying habit of letting things seethe," I replied, as she winced. "It's alright, you won't have to encounter Blake. _You_, are going to pop up in front of Nora and Ren, and see if your super-sudden appearance is enough to shock them back to their senses."

"Great, I get to shepherd the duo who _might not hate me_ away from the fight. And what will you be doing?"

"…Let's just say that I'll be using the fact that Blake 'cautiously dislikes' me and that Yang straight up hates me as a temporary shock factor."

"…You know, if we're going to be partners for the next four years, I think I might have to take issue with the recklessness of your plans."

"Hey, my plans get results," I joked weakly, pulling out Mirror's Edge and splitting it into my longswords. Beside me, Ilia extended Lightning Lash and awaited my signal. "Also, all complaints will have to come after Nora and Ren's; they've been dealing with my ideas for five years already."

I nodded, and we both shot off towards the Ren/Blake duo first, as the less volatile of the two fights going on. As Ren began to make another break towards Nora while Blake attempted to intercept him, I jumped in front of Blake and levelled Mirror's Edge in line with Gambol Shroud, our blades clashing just as they had a few months prior.

Blake's face near-instantly turned to one of irritation. "Move. I need to get to my partner."

A clash very close behind me let me know that Ren's advance had been similarly stopped. "Yeah, no. All of you need to _cool it_, unless you want your negativity to cause Grimm to swarm _one of the mission objectives_." A spark seemed to glint in Blake's amber eyes as she recognized that we were all still at the temple grounds, and in the middle of initiation. Sensing an opening, I shifted slightly, hopefully giving Blake a view of the people behind me. "Plus, you can spend the time I'm about to use breaking our two bruisers apart to catch up with your lovely friend behind me, who I will again remind you that _I also haven't seen in years_."

A quick glance showed Blake indifferent about the figure's back, before her eyes narrowed and she focused in on the details, the profile of the figure's back, and her weapon. Like she'd been burned, Blake jumped back from our deadlock, arms falling to her sides as Gambol Shroud nearly slipped from slack fingers. "Ilia?"

Giving myself the luxury of a look behind me, I caught Ren's eye, as my friend now seemed more aware of the situation around us, and content, if not a little confused, to let the situation play out in my hands. Ilia, on the other hand, visibly flinched at being addressed, and turned to level red eyes full of irritation at me. Thankfully, after Raven, Qrow and Yang, I was near-inoculated to the sight by this point.

"Well, I'll leave you all to your _peaceful_ devices, while I jump into the middle of an explosions-heavy battleground." Leaving Blake behind, I rolled my shoulders in anticipation of the strain, then used a factor of Burst to close in on Nora and Yang.

"AT LEAST I'M NOT NUTS AND DIDN'T WANNA RIDE AN URSA!" Yang roared, slamming a fist into Magnhild's shaft, driving Nora back a few feet. She seemed to be fully in the grasp of Burn, with no intentions of stopping her rush.

"HEY, GRIMM TRANSPORTATION IS AN ENTIRELY SENSIBLE IDEA!" Nora shouted back, shifting the grip on Magnhild in preparation for a full-power swing. Fearing repeats of a certain food-fight showdown, I streaked between the two just as they started moving, levelling a longsword at each and startling them from my sudden appearance.

"By the Gods, there's a time and place to settle spats with each other, and it's not while we're _still trying to complete initiation to become students_! Now, for the love of Dust, would you two _please_ calm down before every Grimm in the area decides it wants to take a bite out of both of you? The last thing we need is for the temple grounds to be swarmed, and ruin everyone else's chances of completing initiation. What would Ruby think of that, or Pyrrha and Jaune?"

At the mention of Ruby's name, Yang began to flare even brighter in anger, before she seemed to wrestle her temper back in check, albeit with clearly-hostile vibes towards Nora and I. Nora, on the other hand, near-instantly dropped her tense posture and gave up the fight, but not before sending Yang a stink-eye for the ages. I cautiously re-sheathed Mirror's Edge in response. "Are we good for now? Because I should probably get back before-"

"TWO YEARS!"

"Hah…that…" I turned to see Blake positively stalking towards Ilia, who was standing by the temple pillars and looking exceptionally guilty. Ren stood in the no-mans land between them, hands raised in a placating gesture as he took occasional glances behind him to confirm that Ilia was still there. Noticing my approach, he sent me a look of extreme puzzlement at the situation. I signaled an explanation for later, which I was hoping I could put off as long as possible.

"_Two_. _Years_. You abandoned the cause, abandoned _me_, and didn't talk to me, didn't so much as _send a scroll message_ for two years…and now you're here? Just like that?" Incredulous, Blake passed by Ren while he was distracted by me, and came to a stop inches away from Ilia, seemingly taking in the sight of her former friend for the first time in years. Before anything drastic and even more negativity-inducing could occur, I gently but firmly laid a hand on Blake's shoulder.

"Blake, not the time," I reminded her. "Whatever your thoughts and feelings towards Ilia are at the moment, leave them for later."

Blake didn't so much as acknowledge my presence, but fell silent. "Kouzai Higure, if you don't remove your hand now, I'm-"

"We finally made it!"

"Of course we did, you dolt! _I_ was the one leading us after all."

"Weiss, that's _why_ I said finally…"

Everyone paused to look at the newcomers, though I could tell from tone and context alone who it was, as Ruby and Weiss entered the clearing, stopping as the duo stared at the crater-strewn field before their eyes landed on our disjointed group.

"YYYYAAAAAAAAANG!" Only fast reflexes saved the brawler from a Petal Burst-powered tackle hug, as Yang swung Ruby around to bleed off the momentum. Weiss approached soon after, and in a contrast from canon seemed merely amused by the sisters' behavior, with something close to wistfulness also appearing in her expression.

"Well, I'm glad to see that the small fry of the Emerald Forest weren't too much of a challenge for you, Yang," Weiss stated primly, though a smirk was present on her face.

"Psh, this girl's far too _hot_ to be touched by some Beowolves or Ursa." Yang punctuated the 'hot' with a momentary activation of Burn, as her hair flickered in vibrant gold.

"And suddenly, I'm less enthused at the prospect of merely having to deal with your antics for the next four years." The smile slid off Weiss' face as her eyes slid over to me. "And most definitely with this vagabond." The heiress then began strutting in my direction.

"Aw Weiss, you said you wouldn't make a fuss about the whole Qrow and Winter thing…" Ruby protested weakly, as Yang promptly raised her sister to eye level.

"What was that about Qrow?"

Meanwhile, I warily kept an eye on the business end of Myrtenaster, which turned out to prove nearly fatal as Weiss' finger nearly jabbed my eye out.

"YOU! I thought I recognized your name from somewhere, but after Ruby told me about her relation to Qrow Branwen and about his relationship with my sister, I remembered. Winter told me stories of how your encounter with both her and Qrow indirectly led to them entering into a relationship with one another. Therefore, this entire business is _your fault_!"

"But didn't you just say that my involvement in this was indirect in the-"

"WHAT?!" A glance over at Yang had her flabbergasted, with her gaze cycling between Ruby, Weiss and I, her face going through similar cycles of expressions. I took the opportunity to sidle up next to Ren and Nora.

"What the _hell_ were you two thinking? I get that you might have beef with them, but this is one of the worst places to start a fight at the moment." It wasn't often that my chastising Nora over her actions got her to look guilty, but an ounce of shame appeared briefly, before being replaced with massive pouting.

"But that bi-"

"_Nora_…"

"But that…walking disaster killed Mr. Cuddles before I could ride him!"

I sighed, requiring no explanation as to who 'Mr. Cuddles' might've been, thanks to canon. "Nora, I get that she killed your ride, but it was literally a Grimm. Plus, there's a million of them out here in the Emerald Forest. And Ren, I get that you're whipped, but could you have put in a bit more effort to _persuade_ Blake to let you or even help you end the fight?...Now, I'm assuming those are the relics over there on the pillars. Mind telling me which one you picked up?"

"THIS ONE! I'm queen of the castle, I'm queen of the castle…"

"…Am I really whipped?"

"If it's any consolation, you've been that way ever since I met you two, so it's not a drastic change now that you two are finally together-together." I grinned, before clearing my throat. "Anyways, time to grab these relics, then it's back to the cliffs for us."

Making a show of walking over to the pillars, I examined the twenty or so pillars, split off into various colors of chess pieces as relics. Knowing that I likely still had Blake's attention, I grabbed the black king piece and walked directly over to Ilia. "This one good?"

Ilia nodded wordlessly, attention still split between me, Blake, Nora and Ren, and Weiss.

"Wow, and he's _so_ modest as well," I heard Yang say sarcastically, and turned to see the rest of RWBY come to join Blake, with Yang and Weiss sporting similar glares as the cat Faunus in my direction. Ruby appeared torn between forgiving me and being rightfully disgruntled.

"Shouldn't our focus be on completing the task assigned to us by the headmaster, instead of focusing all your misplaced anger on an innocent individual?" Ren asked, trying to be the miraculous voice of reason between the two groups. He was also the biggest thing keeping Nora, still raring to go, beside him instead of on top of RWBY, or specifically Yang. Ilia, still nervously out of place amongst the assembled teenagers, stood on 'our' side of the clearing, but less as a show of support and ironically more to avoid the burning stare that Blake was giving her. Unfortunately, that left precious few voices in favor of peace and far more in favor of 'pound Kouzai's face in.'

"I wouldn't try anything if I were you. As I mentioned yesterday, if you were to attack our friend, we would respond in kind." Heads turned as Pyrrha and Jaune strode out of the forest, the signs of competitive Grimm killing clear from their exertion and faint trails of fading Grimm ash that clung to them. Honestly, it was only the Grimm ash that prevented a very different picture from being painted.

'Good news, it doesn't look like my face is gonna get rearranged. Bad news, RWBY and JNPR are about to duke it out and probably blow up half of Vale.' With all roads leading to 'fight', it'd take a miracle to stop the teams from fighting at this rate.

CAAAAAAAAW

'…The universe has to be messing with me at this point.' Everyone looked up to see the familiar form of the Nevermore beginning to fly overhead. I said _the_, because _holy hell_, it was bigger than any Grimm I'd seen thus far. 'Weiss and Ruby actually went on foot this time, so how did-ohhhh, yeah.'

"Alright boys and girls, it looks like your arguing is literally attracting negativity, because damn if that isn't the biggest Grimm I've ever seen," I shouted, paling as it reared its wings back. "Everyone with a shield, cover those without one NOW!"

Weiss and Ruby hid under Weiss' Glyphs, while Pyrrha and Jaune shielded a reluctant Blake and Yang. Ren readied his Aura barrier, while I hauled Ilia under the cover of Mirror's Edge. A moment later, a rain of arrow-sharp feathers rocketed towards the ground, with hundreds of the projectiles colliding with our defenses. After a solid five seconds, the hail finally ceased, which meant that it was time to _move_. Thankfully, I wasn't the only one who thought so.

"Ruby, use your semblance to get a relic, so we can return to the cliffs!" Weiss yelled over the Nevermore's shrieks above.

"You should do the same as well, Jaune! I can cover you." As one, Pyrrha and Jaune dashed for the relics, and moment things looked like they would be in canon.

'If both teams work together to beat the Nevermore, it should go a long way towards patching things up between them. And it's a good thing Jaune wasn't stupid enough this time around to enter that-"

"Run _faster_, Miltia!"

"I'm TRYING! How are you running that fast with HEELS?!"

"I'm a _kicking-based fighter_!"

TSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

'…Nevermind.' Again as one, all heads turned to see Miltia and Melanie sprinting full-tilt out of the forest, the Ancient Deathstalker hot on their heels. Jaws were dropping, and I already heard Yang starting the beginning of her rant, but I had since gotten used to the sight. "JAUNE! GRAB THE OTHER BLACK KING PIECE WHILE YOU'RE AT IT!"

Jaune, to his credit looked confused for only a moment before he caught on, grabbing both the rook and king pieces before he and Pyrrha began running back towards the group and handed the piece off to me.

"We need to get that Deathstalker off their backs! Everyone with projectiles, fire at the fucking _huge target_!" I was already unloading a couple shots with Corona's regular mode of fire, and all of RWBY and JNPR followed suit. The combined fire was enough to stagger the Deathstalker for a few seconds, valuable time that I used to dash in and haul Miltia and Melanie along.

"HOW on Remnant did you two manage to wake an Ancient Deathstalker?" I asked rhetorically. I knew the how of the situation, but _really_ wanted to know the why.

"How were we supposed to know that there was a massive Grimm hidden inside a cave?" Melanie roared, not nearly as out of breath as she first appeared.

'Clearly, my teaching was ineffective…' I deadpanned, chancing a look back only to see the Deathstalker absolutely razing the forest in its path, the massive trees only a slight inconvenience to him. Overhead, the Nevermore was definitely scanning the forest for an opening to shoot its feathers. 'Ideally, we'd wanna _stay_ in the forest instead of escaping out to the ruins, which have less footing and are likely somewhat relevant to history buffs like Oobleck. Just need to convince the others.'

"We should try and beat the Grimm while we're still inside the forest!" I called out, and everyone seemed to at least acknowledge my statement. "We're not gonna outrun both of the Grimm, and there's not enough cover by the cliffs to-"

"Not sure I wanna be taking combat advice from a guy whose friends didn't know that Grimm live in caves!" Yang yelled.

"Listen Blondie! I've had it up to here with your bullshit! First at Junior's, then before initiation, and now here! Is your life goal to royally piss people off so you have an excuse to beat them up?"

"Why you prissy-wait, you both _work_ for Junior? No wonder why you're both so chummy with that asshole!"

"Still right here, guys…"

"Hmph, that explains the caliber of people that he hangs around. Uncouth individuals will seek out similarly lacking companions."

"For your information, _Ice Queen_, who Kouzai chooses to hang around and who chooses to be friends with him is none of your business, and isn't up to something so flimsy as your _judgment_!"

"OI! If you all don't quit it with the teenage drama, we're going to have more on our hands than we're already-"

GRRAAAAAAAAAAHHH

'Dealing with…Qrow, this is somehow your fault…' Up ahead of our group of twelve was the largest Ursa I'd ever seen, both on the screen and on Remnant. It was larger than the Beringel we'd fought in Shion, and larger and more armored than the Ursa Major that Jaune had fought.

"Ursa Superior…" Melanie murmured from beside me, and I would've been impressed at the correct answer if we weren't royally screwed.

"SHIT! EVERYONE TO THE SIDES!" I shouted, and thankfully everyone agreed with _this_ judgment call, because we all picked up the pace massively as the Ursa came from the front and the Deathstalker from behind, forcing us towards the ruins.

I made my sunglasses transparent to use Chronometry's passive effect. 'Shit, shit shit shit…thinkthinkthink. This is even _worse_ than canon! We have _three_ massive Grimm gunning for us! Ozpin, where the _hell_ were the professors looking while culling the Grimm population, because _they missed these three_! Okay, we'll be overwhelmed if we all stick to one spot, and we'll run out of cover if we stay in the forest…nuts, we have to do it!"

"_WE NEED TO SPLIT UP!_" Ruby, Jaune and I stared at one another after all uttering the same phrase, but I had a game plan going quicker than they did. "Ruby and Weiss, Blake and Yang will take the Nevermore! Jaune and Pyrrha, Nora and Ren will handle the Deathstalker! Miltia, Melanie, Ilia and I get the Ursa!"

Weiss was the wonderful voice of defiance in that moment. "And why should we be taking-" I started jabbing fingers at each of them.

"Your pairs have either long-range weaponry or sharp, pointy weapons. Two of these three Grimm are heavily armored. Do the math. Jaune and Nora's pairs have good defense and extreme power, perfect for crushing carapace armor. And by process of elimination…"

"That leaves us with the walking Grimm tank…" Melanie muttered, as if somehow unhappy about the designation.

"All three of these Grimm are certifiably lethal, and _will_ kill any and all of us if we fuck up. _So don't_. If any of these Grimm leave your field, they _will_ come after the rest of us, so finish things quickly.Ruby's team gets the forest to use as cover from the Nevermore. Jaune's gets the temple clearing since it has the most space. We'll take the field in front of the cliff ruins." We were running out of room before the forest ended, so I took one last look at the rest of them.

Ilia was apprehensive about the fight. Understandable, considering that she'd been working alone for years. The twins were quite frankly terrified. Also understandable given how oversized this Grimm was.

Ruby appeared to be nervous, but ready. Weiss was taking deep breaths as if to center herself in preparation. Blake had chosen to stare right back at Ilia and I, with the grim determination that she likely carried during missions for the White Fang. And Yang was intensely focused, so much so that it looked like Burn was nearly activating _without_ her eyes turning red.

And JNPR? Somehow, against all conceivable logic, they were _relaxed_. Not in the sense that they weren't gearing themselves up for strenuous battle, but that they somehow weren't concerned about the outcome. And also apparently that my group would be fine as well, if their nods towards me were any indication.

'Well, after the changes from the last five years, they likely _are_ one of the strongest teams at Beacon, and definitely the strongest first-year team. If only I shared your confidence…' Our window coming up, I readied Mirror's Edge and Aura-reinforced the blade.

Three.

Two.

One.

"KICK SOME ASS!" I roared, and we split into three groups going in separate directions, as Ilia, the twins and I broke through onto the field in front of the ruins. Turning around, we could see the Ursa fast approaching, not even needing to swipe trees out of the way when its near full-body armor plates and spikes bulldozed everything in its path.

"Okay, prioritize speed and defense. Look for weak spots first before trying to land heavy hits, because its certainly stronger than us. Melee, ranged, support items, use everything you've got." The girls beside me nodded silently, as all our eyes were on the Grimm. "Alright, time's up. LET'S DO THIS!"

Now in the middle of the clearing, we charged the Ursa just as it barreled down on top of us, swiping a desk-sized paw downward. Everyone rolled, jumped or slid out of the way as it hit the ground, ripping up a shower of dirt as the four of us made our way around its sides.

'Armor on head and neck, decapitation is out. Plates on the torso and spikes on the back mean stabbing and bifurcation aren't viable…AHA!' I swung Mirror's Edge down onto a slim patch of exposed hind leg, only to gape as the Grimm pivoted, my blade glancing off and coming up to guard as multiple jutting bone spikes stabbed towards my body. The Ursa's near-roll knocked me back over ten feets, and I bent my knees to absorb the shock. Ilia, Miltia and Melanie were in similar states, the four of us forming a haphazard perimeter around the Grimm.

"This stupid Grimm is too damn fast for its size!" Melanie growled.

"Not to mention, even its unprotected areas are tough as iron from all its muscle." Ilia grimaced as she held Lightning Lash, her wrist shaking slightly from what must've been a jolting impact.

"I tried hitting it with Dust projectiles, but they bounced right off the armor!" Miltia called, scraping her claws together in a display of nerves.

The Ursa charged directly for Ilia, and the twins and I closed in to distract the beast. Internally, my brain was working triple overtime. 'It's armor is near-impenetrable. The exposed areas are too tough for thin blades and too small for Mirror's Edge. And Dust projectiles are useless on the outside. Then what about the inside?'

"Try and discharge your Dust _inside its body_! Stab first, then fire!" I called out, and predictably, the group quailed under the makeshift plan.

"How…in the hell…are we supposed to find an opening?!" Ilia shouted, just as the twins groaned in realization.

"You're about to…"

"He's about to…"

"Yup." I cut them off. "I'll give you all an opening, so make sure you take it."

Firing off Corona, I watched the Grimm shrug off the projectiles and turn its malice-filled eyes onto me. Lumbering, it quickly picked up speed and barreled right towards me. Splitting Mirror's Edge apart, I activated both Chronometry and Burst, watching the world slow down as I sped up. Strengthening my body and weapons, I grit my teeth, and then rocketed forward to meet the Grimm. As we neared collision, I watched the Ursa swing its left paw around towards my torso, and swung my right longsword in response.

CLANG

My arm damn near-snapped from the force of the Grimm's arm, and I forced my legs to not buckle under the continuing pressure. 'Here comes the right…' In it's predictable one-two pattern, the Ursa slammed its right paw down towards my head, and I cleaved upwards with my left longsword, again meeting its limb in a clash of back-breaking proportions. Now with the majority of the Ursa's weight bearing down on me, I crossed my longswords for reinforced support, but was still forced to one knee in just a few seconds.

FOOOOM

TSSSSSSSSS

ZZZZZZT

I watched through the haze of the strain as plumes of Fire and Ice dust exploded from the Ursa's back, while arcs of Lightning Dust coursed through the Grimm's body.

'Hell ye-OH SHIT!' I locked my swords in front of me as the Ursa actually _spun_ in place, and the wall of bone spikes slammed into my weapons, sending me flying back and crashing into the ground. I righted myself quickly, but didn't have time for much else.

"MILTIA!"

I sprang to my feet to catch Melanie and Ilia in the same situation that I'd been, except without a large weapon to block the spikes, they'd both taken some heavy damage to their Auras. The Ursa, although slower and more unsteady on its feet, was still advancing on a near-faded Miltia dazed on the ground.

"SHIT!" I ignored the creaking of my legs and arms and exploded off the ground, applying Burst in liberal quantities to make it over to Miltia in time. Coming to a stop in front of the red-clad twin, I watched as the Ursa actually reared back this time before sending its claws towards us in a stab.

'No room to back up, and I can't block all it's claws! Fuck it, no one's dying on my watch!' Throwing my right hand forward, I channeled Aura to the white gauntlet on my right hand, watching the warm blue crystal set in the palm light up. 'Come on Weylin, let this _work_!"

STRRRRRRSTTSTSTST

A barrier of hexagonal blue plates appeared just beyond my palm, expanding out to encompass the space around Miltia and I. The Ursa swiped its other palm toward the barrier, but it held firm.

'That AK-130 blueprint is paying dividends…thank the gods Weylin is a master crafter…' I scooped up Miltia, deactivated the barrier and dashed around the injured and slowed Grimm towards a regrouped Melanie and Ilia, before laying a now-conscious Miltia on her feet.

"You _did not_ have that when we last saw each other," Ilia commented in awe, staring at the still-glowing white gauntlet.

"He didn't even have it as recently as _a month ago_! When did you get it, where did you get it, and I want one!" Melanie seemed to be much quicker on the reactions, which was something at least.

"There'll be time for explanations later. For now, just know that I can cover you if needed, but let's all agree that trying to discharge Dust into its exposed areas again is a terrible idea." Although the Grimm had suffered some significant degree of damage, the cost was that the entire team had taken a hit to their Auras, with Miltia's being near-depleted. "We need a new plan, so who else has an idea?"

"Go for the eyes and insides." The twins and I turned to Ilia, who shored up her resolve to continue. "Even if they're armored, even if they have Aura, if you stab someone or something in its eyes, the fight is pretty much over. The same goes for if you can mess up their organs."

"Great advice. Who wants to volunteer as tribute to be eaten by an Ursa?" Melanie snarked as we ran to avoid the oncoming Ursa, but I cut her off.

"That…might actually work, or at least be the only thing that our weapons will work on," I replied, drawing incredulous stares from the twins. "Hear me out. If Ilia and I give you and Miltia an opening, you both can-"

"Hell no! I am _not_ letting Miltia back out there with her current Aura level! If she takes another hit-" Melanie stopped as Miltia grabbed her twin's arm.

"If any of us take another hit this'' turn ugly." Miltia turned to me. "What do we need to do?"

"We need some way of upending the Ursa, so that it lands on its stomach. From there, you and Melanie can approach from the sides and use your weapons to stab the Grimm's eyes out. But only the eyes! If you stick around to fire another Dust discharge, it'll likely get up and swipe you both down. The only thing is…I'm not sure how to make it fall. I could try sending Mirror's Edge around to have the combining upset the Ursa's balance, but it looks too heavy for that to work…" I trailed off as Ilia pointed at her bracer. "What's that?"

"I've got an extendable grappling hook claw in here. The range isn't terribly long, but the cord is strong. It's called-"

"We can discuss weapon names later! For now, get ready to do some eye-gouging." Melanie turned to face the Ursa, and Miltia joined her while Ilia and I brought up the rear.

"Alright! We only get one shot at this! Is everyone ready?!" I watched all three of them nod in turn. "Let's kill ourselves a massive Grimm then."

Firing off what was left of Corona's magazine, I got the Ursa's attention once more as the other three positioned themselves. As the Ursa began bounding forward, I focused my Aura back to Chronometry and Burst, noting the dwindling amount of Aura remaining. 'Okay…wait for it…_wait for it_…' My hands gripped Mirror's Edge, and feet remained the Grimm and I. And then…

"NOW!" I ducked under the Ursa's paw, then swung Mirror's Edge around aided by the firearm function. At the same time, Ilia fired her grappling hook, looping around one of the Ursa's hind legs. As I slammed my weapons into the Grimm's armor-plated shin, Ilia yanked back with all her might, and our combined force pulled the Ursa's legs out from under it. As I rolled out of the way, the Grimm's body slammed into the dirt, before being instantly set upon by Miltia and Melanie.

"CAN'T WAIT TO TELL JUNIOR ABOUT THIS!" Melanie screamed, as her heels and Miltia's claws sank into the Grimm's eyes, and a spray of dark Grimm blood gushed out. The sound the Ursa made was maddening, like warped metal being drawn across stone. Leaping off of the Grimm, we all watched as the Ursa thrashed and writhed, swiping wildly as it attempted to search for its prey. Unfortunately…

"_How_ is this thing not dead yet?" Ilia gaped in horror, and I wasn't that far behind. The Grimm had taken far more punishment that any of us would've been capable of, but I suppose that was the purpose and nature of them. That being said, it didn't help us beat a nigh-impenetrable Grimm that had already had its weaknesses ruthlessly exploited.

I noticed Miltia staring at my white gauntlet intently. "What is it?" I watched her gaze trail from my glove, over to the Ursa. "I know it protects us from the Ursa's attacks, but that's all it does right now. The only function it really has is to expand into the-OHHHHHHH!"

I grasped Miltia's shoulders. "Miltia, you're a genius! I mean, I might die, but still a genius!"

"I think I missed the subtitles there. And the audio," Melanie commented, confused.

"Right, sorry. Ilia, do you think you have the technique to loop your grappling hook around the Ursa's neck?" Ilia nodded dumbly, also lost on the details of the plan. "Great. Melanie and Miltia, do you think you have it in you to stab the Ursa's paws and hold them down for a few seconds if the Grimm is on its back?"

"We can handle it if its just a few seconds, sure, but what's the point?" Melanie cocked her ear as Miltia whispered into it, before her eyes widened to comical proportions and her jaw nearly hit the ground. "Kouzai, _are you absolutely insane_?"

"Only if it doesn't work," I joked back. "So make sure I've got a proper opening, yeah?"

Handing Mirror's Edge over to Miltia and Melanie, I prepared myself as we separated to points of the clearing around the Ursa. Now slower and without its vision, Ilia was able to properly aim for the Grimm's neck, looping her grappling hook around as we both yanked backwards. With its hind legs debilitated from the earlier internal Dust blasts, the Ursa was unable to remain standing, and fell back onto the ground, this time with its bone spikes seeking deep into the earth. Fast as lightning, both Milita and Melanie arrived, each twin stabbing a longsword down into the Grimm's unarmored paw and holding on for dear life. As the Ursa opened its mouth to roar, I streaked forward and buried my right arm into its mouth, channeling Aura to the arm as fast as I could. With a soft blue glow overcoming the road inside the Grimm's maw, the Ursa's head rapidly ballooned, then burst as the barrier of Hard-Light Dust expanded into being. With a shower of Grimm blood and ash, the Ursa went limp and began fading away, leaving the four of us free to sink down onto the ground, uncaring of if there were other Grimm lurking around.

"Hah, hah…you owe me a new dress, Kouzai…" Melanie panted as her head was hung, finally spent. Miltia, flat out against the ground, merely nodded in agreement.

"Are all of your plans always this crazy?" Ilia asked as she approached, retracting the hook back into her bracer.

"No."

"Yup."

"Oh, definitely."

I glared at the twins, then shrugged my shoulders as I leaned back on my arms. Not even the arrival of RWBY and JNPR made me budge, as they collectively gazed at the fading, hulking remains of the Ursa.

I grinned. "Who wants to bet that we had the coolest team kill?"

… … …

"Kouzai Higure. Miltia Malachite. Melanie Malachite. Ilia Amitola. You four collected the Black King pieces. From henceforth, you shall be known as, Team KMMI (Cosmic). Lead by, Kouzai Higure."

'Oh, you immortal sonofabitch…' I squinted at Ozpin, who seemed to take a sip of his _cocoa_ in response. On the screen above us, highlights of our battle with the Ursa Superior were playing out.

"Well, no surprises there," Melanie remarked as we left the stage. "Though I'm kind of surprised that Ozpin used Cosmic, when your name starts with a K."

"Eh, Cosmic comes from Cosmos, which originally was spelled with a K by the people who created the word. Maybe Ozpin just enjoys old history." I kept my eyes on the wizard as JNPR took the stage. '_Very_ old history…'

"…Team JNPR. Lead by, Jaune Arc. Congratulations, young man." I watched as JNPR celebrated with one another, far more and far closer of a family already than at this point in canon. Onscreen, their battle with the Deathstalker played, and my jaw dropped.

"Now that's just unfair…" We all watched as a Tranquility-cloaked, Aura Amp-enhanced, Polarity-aided, High Voltage-powered Nora literally flew through the air like Thor himself, before bringing Magnhild down on the unsuspecting Deathstalker and completely obliterating its carapace.

"I'M QUEEN OF THE CASTLE!" Nora shouted, posing onstage as most of the other first-year students backed away in sheer terror.

"Woe befall anyone that has to face you all in sparring class, including us," I groaned to Jaune, before groaning for real when the blond playfully punched my shoulder and near-knocked me over.

"…Team RWBY. Lead by, Ruby Rose." I watched as Ruby looked flabbergasted, Yang cheered, Blake smiled, and Weiss had grace this time around to look magnanimous. Onscreen, in a more realistic departure from canon than the abomination from JNPR, the Nevermore was finished off by a combo of team attacks. Yang, propelled by Gambol Shroud, smashed the Grimm from above, while Ruby, aided by Weiss' speed glyphs, decapitated the Nevermore from below.

'Oh yeah…this is gonna be one _hell_ of an interesting year…'

… … …

"Lasher's Grip."

Now in our Beacon dorm room for the very first time, very little decorating and unpacking was getting done, set aside in favor of winding down from the breakneck pace of the day. After discovering that our room was next to JNPR's and diagonal to RWBY's, we all agreed, save for Nora, that relaxing in preparation for the beginning of classes tomorrow was a better idea than _partying all night long_. 'At least Jaune and Pyrrha will be there to rein in Nora now.'

Now we were listening to one another describe our weapons and semblances for the benefit of the others. Ilia had just finished explaining her grappling hook, leaving the role to fall to me next.

"Well, I'm assuming that you all already know about Mirror's Edge and Corona, along with my semblance, Chronometry, so I won't delve into that too much." I help up both hands, with Luna in my left hand and the white gauntlet in my right. "Let's move onto these then. This knife is something that I got from a huntsman, in exchange for a promise to watch over the man's two nieces. Prizes as to which two girls they are. It's got some special effects, like letting me fire Aura blasts and whatnot.

Now, the gauntlet is admittedly something of a recent addition, though it's been in the works for a while. The short of it is that the gauntlet is equipped with Hard-Light Dust crystals on the front and back, and the gauntlet itself is capable of being worn on either hand. Currently, its only function is the barrier, but I might be able to do more things with it later on."

"What's its name?" Miltia questioned, trying to examine the gauntlet up close.

"Well, with the white coloring and segmented pieces, I figured that it looked like a skeleton hand. So I named it Mortem." Now Ilia was also taking a look at it, and something sparked in her eyes in recognition.

"Is this something that you came across while you were…performing some services?" Ilia asked, and Miltia and Melanie flinched and stared. On her part, Ilia stared right back. "Wait, you're telling me that both of you know that he's…"

"Uh, yeah. How do _you_ know?" Melanie was glaring at Ilia, which in turn was putting Ilia on edge.

"Okay, let's not have infighting while I've got an entire team across the hall whose shitlist I'm on. Basically, Ilia is a contact that I knew while I was active in Mistral. Melanie and Miltia are related to people who I provided my services to while still in Mistral. As for the gauntlet, I came across the idea during one of my excursions in Mistral, namely the one in Kuchinashi. Does that satisfy everyone's curiosity?" Everyone nodded, and I sighed in relief that my room itself wouldn't become a battleground. At least, not yet.

A notification from my scroll caught my attention, and I glanced down at it, then did a double take at the message.

_Prim: Figured it might be time for another chat. I'm on the dorm roof whenever you're ready._

… … …

… … …

"Well, Ms. Autumn, classes will be beginning tomorrow. How do you currently feel?"

"I really hope that's a rhetorical question, Ozpin. Like I've already told Qrow, Glynda _and_ Ironwood, I've recovered from my injuries and am acclimated to the new arm. Mostly though, I _need_ to get outside of the school and stretch my legs before I go stir-crazy."

"Be that as it may, the current situation is far too precarious to potentially allow your powers, and your life, to fall into the hands of-"

"It's my life Ozpin, and currently _my_ power. That _woman_, those people tried to kill me and those protecting me, and so help me, I will-

… … …

"Kill her and take what is mine."

"Good. But take heed, Cinder, that you are aware of the power that lies within you now, and what that truly means."

"Are you referring to the malice and rage that stems from this new arm of mine?"

"It is more than that, dear Cinder. Understand that you now are connected with the essence of Grimm that extends to a fundamental level. That connection, which is likely what gives you such a sensation, may also affect you in other ways if you are not vigilant. And should I determine that you are of greater detriment to me than benefit, rest assured that I can procure another inheritor for my plans. Are we clear?

"…Yes, Ma'am."

"Good. Now, tell me more about this new plan of yours, now that your infiltration into Beacon has been foiled…"

**A/N: Whew, that was a thing. I'm glad to finally be done with initiation proper, which means we can now get to the fun stuff, or other fun stuff. That means time for chapters of slower pacing, character development, and fluff. I haven't written too much of that yet, but I already like the sound of that. Rest assured though, I'm aiming to keep the plot and events of Volume 1, or rather the new Volume 1, around a range of 16 chapters or so, just like in canon. That means the arc of Volume 1 will likely conclude around the end of April, so everyone can look forward to that. Alright, back to work. See everyone soon.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 02/10/2020**


	25. Chapter 22: As One Door Shuts

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Soooo, it has come to my attention that I committed an error of plot writing last chapter, and that the stinger detailing conversations with Amber and Cinder noted each having half of the Fall Maiden's power. As mentioned by a couple readers, the events of this story are currently that Cinder possesses none of the power, but it is true that both individuals are currently down an arm, and are looking for payback. I have already gone back to the last chapter and cleaned that part up so it fits, but hopefully that wasn't too jarring to any readers.**

**In other news, I have arrived at the point in the semester where the dates of my wonderful finals have been revealed. The bad news is that I will again have to take a brief break from chapter releases on May 5****th****. The good news is that the break this time only appears to be one week this time, and that I should be able to finish the current Beacon Volume 1 Arc before taking a week off. But we've still got a number of weeks until then, so let's enjoy how things progress, shall we? First reviews, then onto the good stuff.**

**Oblivious IJ: If the multiverse of deities exist on Remnant, there would be a good number of mythological figures and gods walking the earth, instead of the current one that Kouzai has the pleasure of dealing with.**

**HoldMyFOOF: Well, the downfall of most groups in TV shows, books, movies and other media tends to be lack of proper communication. Especially considering that Teams RWBY and JNPR aren't in a very talkative mood with each other, any such comparison of notes will likely be on the backburner. And regarding Mortem, there's two parts to the tool, being the Hard-Light Dust Crystal used and the Aura powering it. Both are finite resources that deplete the more that they're used, so the damage cap is in short however long the Dust is viable.**

**Raidentensho: I can't speak to the thoughts of the RWBY producers, but when it comes to Kouzai, let it be known that watching various media has given him some ideas on what to do with Mortem, given the time and know-how. Dexterity, however, is not something that Kouzai has in spades.**

**Bartholomew Black: Let it be known that all members of the potential Team HAMM would've rioted had Ozpin had the gumption to assign that name to them. And thanks for the compliment, hopefully the coolness keeps rising.**

**AlexFalTon: If the words "Battle Royale" are ever uttered while RWBY, JNPR and KMMI are present, he will give it his best effort to defuse things, and failing that, flee with every fiber of his being.**

**R26: Time management is a necessity that I'm currently treating like a suggestion, but I'm still making do for now. When it's needed though, rest assured that I'll pull everything together, but for now I'm content with what I've got on my plate. As for your other advice, I'll take the idea with Ilia into consideration, but we'll see how the characters progress throughout the volume. In terms of Kouzai's power rating, his fighting skill is competent, but definitely below the majority of RWBY's main characters. The only things that really give him an edge in a fight are his semblance, his knowledge of the show, and his arsenal. Chronometry is a good combat supplement, but as shown by Raven, among other characters, it has its weaknesses. Meanwhile, the usefulness of his foreknowledge is quickly dwindling, a fact that he is aware of. And when it comes to the contents of his arsenal, various factors intercede. Mortem is far from a finished product, and its flaws will make themselves known, while Corona's flaws could be fixed, but leave it's applicability quite limited. With the owner of such technology on both Ozpin's and Salem's radars, casual usage will have him in Ozpin's office or Salem's tower faster than Nora can eat a stack of pancakes. **

**FrozenTurkey: Thanks a bunch for vote of confidence, and hopefully the writing's worth the weekly wait.**

**PyromaniacRabbit: Yup, especially with the fights of initiation, I figured people might not want to dwell on how Team RWBY and JNPR fight even with different strategies, and give more focus to the new characters while giving enough vivid details about others to entice readers. And thank you kindly for noticing that I'd confused the narrative of events in the stinger. The writing has now been corrected, but it's good to know that such errors weren't a big deal, though I'll still be working double time to make sure no more pop up.**

**Gizmo Gear: Yup, Kouzai's strategy is to remove the elements of the canon plot that caused Remnant to fall into chaos. Even with his theorizing and planning, however, he can't fully understand the scope of connectivity of disparate events. There is certainly a heating pot, and Kouzai has definitely tossed explosives in. Time will tell exactly what level of reaction this stimulus can cause.**

**Metal4K: Well, it's good to know that I haven't made Kouzai objectively overpowered or a Marty Sue. And with his personality, ingratiating himself to all the main characters was a long shot among long shots.**

Chapter 22: As One Door Shuts

Chapter Date: 02/10/2020

The walk up to the dorm roof was a silent one externally. Internally, I was running through every possibility in my head on what to expect. I didn't know how "Prim" had gotten my scroll number, or how she'd gotten a scroll, or how she even _existed_ outside my head. So there was a lot to be wary of as I ascended the stairs towards the roof. For a brief moment though, as I opened the rooftop door and stepped outside, the view of Beacon at night had me entranced in all its realistic and yet fantastical architecture. Trust Ozpin to take a school meant for warriors and turn it into an art exhibit. Then again, that applied to most Huntsmen as-

"Took you long enough."

At those words, I slowly turned away from the view of Beacon towards the shingled roof. And seated on the roof, legs swinging absentmindedly, was Primordia.

Somehow, someway, the deity given physical form had traded her white sundress for a Beacon uniform, and her previously free-flowing electric-blue tresses were now tied in a ponytail. Electric-blue irises still gazed down on me with clear mirth though.

"Sorry, I was a bit busy trying to figure out when I gave _a goddess_ my scroll number. Or, you know, dealing with the fact that you _actually exist_." Getting onto the roof was easy enough, and I took a cautious seat next to an amused Primordia.

"Why Kouzai, you didn't think that I was some fever dream cooked up in your intoxicated head at the time, did you?" My deadpan stare was answer enough. "Fair point, I'm not sure even you could've thought of something so crazy. Like I said before, I'm just as real as the two Horned idiots gallivanting somewhere in space, and just as capable of manifesting a body. I just figured that it'd be refreshing to switch up the pace, and get in touch the old-fashioned way. Oh, and while I'm in this body, call me Prim."

"Sure, _Prim_. Now, can we get to the part where you explain exactly _why_ we needed to chat again? And why we're doing it on the roof where a certain bully can hear us and a certain immortal wizard can spy on us?" I looked around for any cameras within range as _Prim_ unashamedly giggled.

"It's kind of funny how paranoid you can be at times. So long as we're not shouting, which I hope you don't do, there's no chance of Cardin Winchester eavesdropping on our conversation. I also think that you're perhaps overestimating Ozpin when it comes to his surveillance tactics, though. Cautious and careful he may be, but even he can't have every roof and building monitored at all times. How else do you think that Cinder managed to get away with her little rooftop running spree in Volume 2, without Ozpin's inner circle tracking her all the way to her dorm room?"

That…was a good point. "Ok, so he has even less of a handle on things than the show outwardly portrayed. That's certainly a confidence booster."

"You'll find that countless interactions and events unfold beyond the veneer of what you perceive and witness," Prim noted, legs swinging absentmindedly. "After all, you _were_ rather surprised at the nature of Qrow and Winter's current relationship, to say nothing of the fight over the Fall Maiden's powers months ago."

"Yeah, well, I thought it'd take an act of a god to get those two to settle their differences. As for fight between STRQ and Cinder's group, why didn't you manifest sooner and tell me that things were going to get ugly? Or _how_ things ended up like that?"

Prim's eyes flicked up towards the night sky. "Like I said before, part of the rules of you being here are that _you_ have to be the one in the driver's seat, meaning that I can't backseat-driver you all the way to a perfect ending. That would defeat the purpose of my bringing you over to Remnant as a show that the Brothers made some terrible judgments. And as I mentioned earlier, the escalation of the fight over Amber Autumn's powers escalated due to decisions that _you_ made, even if you didn't know how far they'd extend."

"My rant at Raven…and my talk with Qrow…that's why they and Tai were fighting alongside Amber that day?"

"In a word, yes."

"For the other side, Cinder knew that Qrow would be accompanying Amber, so she needed more firepower. That's where Roman, Neo, Adam and I guess Blake came in."

"Had it been just Qrow and Amber, Cinder would've likely triumphed and her plans to infiltrate Beacon would've gone unnoticed by any except you."

"But with Amber still alive, and more importantly, with their faces known to Ozpin's inner circle now, Cinder's crew has no chance of slipping into Beacon as students anymore, meaning that Amber and the Relic are safe for now…right?"

"For now. But remember, as one door shuts, another opens. That holds true for both sides." Prim stood up and brushed her skirt. "Now, let's get you back inside. We wouldn't want to be late to the first day of classes tomorrow, would we?"

"Who's we?" I grumbled, also rising to my feet, before the thought occurred to me. "You obviously know how to get in touch with me, but if I wanted to get in contact with you-"

"I'd avoid relying on me too heavily. After all, I'm just an omnipresent entity capable of multidimensional travel. But yes, if you need to speak with me, just think about it before falling asleep or use your scroll to contact me."

"I take it that messaging you on my scroll won't be so easy as 'messages by you are erased when others look at them', is it?"

Prim grinned. "Hope you're conscientious about your scroll security." Then, with a blink, she was gone, with only a singular blue butterfly fluttering away.

'Great…'

As I returned to my dorm room, my mind was occupied with Prim's last serious advice. 'Both sides…obviously both Ozpin and Salem need to recalculate their plans in the aftermath of the fight over Amber…but what could their plans be?'

I instinctively reached for the door handle to my room, before all preservation skills gained over decades of living tingled. Instead, I knocked and said, "Is everyone decent in there?"

"Yes."

"Uh-huh."

"HELL NO!"

I sighed, knowing exactly who that was, and took a seat in the hallway. 'That's right…_our_ room…this'll take some getting used to…'

After a minute, the door opened and Melanie glared at me, with my only response to sigh and hold my hands up as I strolled back into the room. And thankfully, _mercifully_, all my teammates were dressed and I'd live to see another day.

"It's a good thing you knocked, otherwise I would've definitely stabbed you." Melanie, in another departure from Weiss, was dressed in a pajama set of pastel blue shirt and white pants.

"Don't be ridiculous, Mel, you were lazing on your bed in your underwear for gods knows how long. You should be thankful Kouzai was thoughtful enough to consider us first." Miltia adorned in a deep red nightgown, though of a shorter length than either Ruby or Weiss would've been comfortable with.

I'd already seen both twins in such states due to working with Junior. I turned to look at my partner, who was wearing a brown nightgown and appeared engrossed in a novel. However, her freckles were a vibrant pink.

'Oh yeahhhh…I nearly forgot about that…we're gonna have to work out a schedule of some sort, aren't we?' I went to change into my own nightwear, and upon stepping out of the bathroom was finally "noticed" by Ilia.

"So how was your evening walk?" Ilia asked, though her eyes were looking pointedly at my scroll. I inwardly winced at the unsubtle departure I'd made right after seeing Prim's message.

"The walk was good. It has occurred to me though that either Ozpin or Beacon's architect must've been high while designing the school, because some parts of it look straight from a fairy tale, especially at night." I was determined not to meet my partner's eyes as I made my way towards my bed.

"Oh, that does remind me though. Junior called Melanie and I to ask how initiation went, and he mentioned that he's been looking to speak with you," Miltia said, and I made a note to cross Junior off the list of possible alibis.

"We'll all likely see him again when we head into Vale this weekend after classes," I replied. "Now, let's get to sleep, or it'll be impossible to wake Melanie up tomorrow in time for classes."

"Hey, I'm not _that_ much of a heavy sleeper!"

… … …

Morning came all too quickly and I sat up in my bed. Staring down at my scroll, I turned off the alarm before it could start ringing and stretched. 'Even before getting to Remnant, I'd wake up before the alarm. Guess some things don't change.' Turning to the side, I caught sight of Ilia already up and about, dressed in her Beacon uniform.

"Good morning, Kouzai," she greeted, before looking quizzically at my surprised face before she understood. "Since I've been travelling alone for a while, I've gotten used to waking early. Well, even before then, I had a lot of late nights and long hours."

"Fair point. I guess I'm just not used to anyone outside of Ren being up before me." Ilia and I both turned as sheets rustled, before Miltia sat up, rubbing her eyes as a few short strands of hair stuck up. Squinting through the morning light, she caught sight of Ilia and I staring at her before she mumbled something.

"I'm sorry, could you re-"

"_Coffee_." Ilia flinched at the visceral tone of the normally polite girl's speech, but I was already on the move, striding over to the coffee machine that the twins had hauled from their home. A minute later, I placed a steaming mug in Miltia's hands, and the sound of quiet sipping was all that was heard in the room for nearly half a minute.

"_Ahhhhhhh_…sorry about that, Ilia. I'm not quite a morning person, and need coffee in the morning to get started." Setting her mug down, Miltia made her way over to the bathroom.

"No problem…" Ilia trailed off as the bathroom closed before turning to me. "And you said that _Melanie_ wasn't a morning person?"

"Neither of them are, but Melanie is worse by a mile," I chuckled, before gesturing to the other side of the room. "You might wanna stand over there while I do this; it tends to get ugly."

With those ominous words, I crept over to Melanie's bedside, where the long-haired twin was sleeping still as a statue. Raising my hands, I channeled Aura to my Aura shield and slipped my glasses off, placing them on my bed temporarily. With Chronometry active, I slowly moved my hand, reaching out with one finger to _just barely_ touch her cheek.

THUD

Even in Chronometry, I watched the blur that was Melanie's leg collide with my side, and I flexed to absorb the impact. Turning back to Ilia, I gestured to Melanie's leg, still against my side. "When Melanie wakes up, she can be a bit-GUH…violent…" I sagged down onto my knees, staring down at the fist that had buried itself in my stomach. As I hit the ground, I was level with a pair of intensely-burning green eyes.

"Morn-AGH-ning…" I rocked back for a moment as I caught the backfist rocketing for my face. "Time to get up." A few minutes later, our last teammate finally mustered up her resolve.

"_Hate_..." Melanie begrudgingly rose up from the bed, her black curtain of hair making her look _extremely_ similar to the creature from the Ring, which did wonders for my fear of all things horror.

"Yes yes, and the world will end in fire." Miltia slid out of the bathroom, dressed, rejuvenated and entirely nonchalant at the sight of her sister. "Kouzai, you hop into the shower considering you're fast, I'll load my sister up on coffee."

Keeping an eye on the clock, I was in and out of the shower very quickly, and stepped out as Melanie rocketed into the bathroom, the door slamming behind me. Turning to Miltia, I eyed the mug in her hand. "How much coffee did you give her, exactly?"

"Enough to get her up." Miltia set the mug down and looked up at the clock. "I'm supportive of being punctual, but don't we still have some time before our first class?"

"I'm factoring in time for us to grab our own breakfast, which I'll be doing in a second," I replied getting my shoes on. "I'm also considering how long it might take your sister to get ready."

Miltia paled at the latter part of my statement, stared at the clock, then turned to Ilia. "Maybe go with him to grab breakfast and bring it back. Melanie without breakfast in the mornings can be…difficult."

"The twins can be…a little high maintenance," I explained as we were grabbing plates of food to bring back. For her part, Ilia rolled her eyes.

"Trust me, it doesn't matter whether they're in a peaceful place or a battlefield; there will always be those who are absolute garbage in the mornings. I came across many of those while in…my old group." Ilia amended the last part of her statement as she glanced around at the increasing number of people streaming into the cafeteria.

"Yup. You'd think that people who work for Junior would be a little more awake, but no, the club atmosphere seems to really dictate their sleep schedules," I joked as we made our way back to the dorm room. After getting back into the room, I eyed the clock as we ate. With barely any time to spare, Melanie finally emerged and unceremoniously had breakfast thrust at her by Miltia.

"Not that I'm…complaining about…breakfast in bed…but what's the rush? We've still got some time left." Melanie was getting her shoes on, and I was shepherding us out the door shortly after. "I swear, if this is some sort of 'getting good seats' thing, you'll wake up being dangled out the window."

"While I love the enthusiasm and mob threats, I have a more logical reason for getting us to class quick." The dorm a fair bit behind us, I glanced at the remaining seconds before the possible event. "One more focused on self-preservation…"

"What do you mean by-"

"IT'S 8:55, YOU DUNCE!" Three heads turned back in the direction of the dorms, but one Kouzai made insistent strides towards the classroom.

"Who…was…" I ignored Miltia's trailing question as we entered the classroom, which was already mostly full. And towards the front of the classroom-

"HEY KOUZAI! OVER HEREEEEE!" This time, the whole team looked as Nora's distinctive shout rang up to us. A waving jovial Nora was point to four empty seats beside Team JNPR, which I gracefully accepted with ears towards the door and eyes on my friends.

"When did you guys get here? Ilia and I didn't see you while we were getting breakfast." I watched, puzzled, as JNPR sported grins of equal smugness, which was highly disconcerting coming from Ren and Pyrrha of all people.

"Well, it turns out that we're all kind of used to waking up early. Nora and Ren got the habit from you, and Jaune and I learned it from our highly regulated schedules," Pyrrha stated, to Melanie's general horror.

"Oh gods, are you telling me that I'm doomed to end up-"

BANG

The classroom door was nearly knocked off its hinges as all of RWBY spilled into the room, collapsing in a colorful pile. A yellow bracelet-clad arm was thrust upward.

"Made it!"

The girls picked themselves off the floor and began scanning for open seats, miraculously finding a row nearly entirely empty…except that it was the front row…and it was directly in front of my team and JNPR.

"OH HO! How wonderful to see such energy for education! Please, take your seats by the front so that I may begin imparting my wisdom unto you!" All four girls looked like they'd rather go twelve rounds with a Beringel, but Atlas would sooner thaw before Weiss Schnee would cause a disturbance in a class, and so I was met with three glares and one puppy-eyed look of disapproval as RWBY slid into the seats in the front row.

"Monsters…deeeemons…prowlers of the night…" Grimm Studies actually being one of my strong subjects, and knowing what Port's class could be like, I instead began spending the time working on potential plans that Cinder might come up with, and what counters might exist. The issue was, her initial plan was so expansive and intricate that to map out even one more contingency made for highly intellectual and theoretical work.

"So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits!"

"I do, sir!"

"Well then, let's find out! Step forward, and face your opponent."

'Guess we're at this point of the class.' I put the notes into my pouch for now and chose to focus on Weiss' upcoming battle with a Boarbatusk. 'I wonder if Weiss' skills have changed any from canon.' As the class watched, Port took his weapon and smashed the crate's lock, as a rageful squeal emanated from within. As the Grimm burst out of the cage, the battle started exactly how it'd been in canon, with Weiss testing Myrtenaster against its armor to no avail.

"Weiss! Go for its belly! There's no armor underneath!" I looked down to see Ruby gesturing, and Weiss slowly turned to face her partner. But instead of snapping at her leader, Weiss instead nodded and turned back to the battle.

'Uhhhhh…' I looked to both sides to see if anyone was as confused as I was. "Since when does Weiss listen to Ruby's advice?"

"I'm not sure, but considering that Ruby listened to Weiss earlier when the heiress asked her to pay attention to class, it looks like she's not a hypocrite, at least." Ilia seemed reluctant to compliment Weiss in any way, shape or form, but I noted that any non-insult about a Schnee from her was worth its weight in Orichalculum.

"Yeah, but she stopped Ruby from drawing that funny picture of Port!" Nora hissed on my other side. "I would've paid her good money for that…"

SSHHHRRRING

I turned back to the battle as the Boarbatusk rammed into one of Weiss' protective Glyphs, before a propulsion Glyph beneath its feet launched it upwards. Crouching slightly, Weiss leapt off another propulsion Glyph and thrusted Myrtenaster straight into the Grimm's underside, a fading squeal the only sign of the creature's existence as it faded into ash.

"Bravo! Braa-vo! It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true huntress in training! I'm afraid that's all the time we have today."

'Huh, I guess the better first impression between the two helped Weiss see past all the stereotypes that she was putting on Ruby in the beginning. I'll take it.' As we made our way to the next class, I kept my eye on the bumblebee pair behind the group of JNPR and KMMI. 'Now _that's_ a troublesome duo for me. One who wants to unequivocally pound my face in, and one who can spill all my secrets and has subjectively justifiable reasons to do so.'

Getting off Team RWBY's collective shit list was definitely high on my list of priorities, but all extraneous thoughts were put aside as the green blur that was Oobleck sped into the classroom. I preemptively took off my glasses and prepared my fingers for fresh hell.

… … …

"My hands…"

"It wasn't that bad, Mel."

"How has the skin not been rubbed right off of _yours_?"

"The same reason why you weren't so tired from all that running yesterday. You have your legs, I have my arms."

Ilia and I laughed as the twins bantered back and forth, but I kept my arms in motion while walking to hide the fact that my hands were also twitching a slight bit.

'Oobleck's lecturing speed is insane! If I didn't have Chronometry to listen to him speak normally, I never would've gotten all those notes down.' I glanced sideways at JNPR, where Jaune and Nora were in a similar state to Melanie. Meanwhile, Ren appeared unflappable as always, while Pyrrha was _still smiling_ after the two classes we just had.

"Good afternoon, class-"

"WOOHOO! Time to break some legs!" Nora finished her statement, revitalized by the start of sparring class, only to shrink back down in terror as Professor Goodwitch affixed her with a glare to melt steel.

"As I was saying, good afternoon, and welcome to Sparring class. I am your instructor, and will now detail how the class will be run." Goodwitch began explaining the ins and outs of sparring and tournament regulations, as I chanced a look at the other students around the room.

CRDL looked eager at the prospect of getting to the more physical aspect of the curriculum, though for students like Cardin, it was clearly less about the fight and more about the domination. Russel on the hand seemed to be all about the fight, judging by the grin on his face. Dove appeared more thoughtful, and Sky looked…apprehensive?

JNPR was all smiles save for Ren, and for good reason. Three of the team were absolute monsters on the battlefield, and Ren was just good enough to make one appreciate how skilled he was to keep up with said monsters.

RWBY was more divided. Ruby was openly grinning at the prospect of armed combat, while Weiss appeared indifferent but looked eager to prove herself. Blake _actually_ was indifferent to the prospect of sparring, but kept her eyes locked towards Ilia and I. And Yang? Yeah, that woman was out for blood, and likely mine specifically.

"Now that the rules have been explained, we may conduct our first class. There will be a series of five-minute single-combatant spars, each with time for critiquing afterwards. The order-, yes Miss Xiao Long?"

"Can we request opponents?" Yang asked, with her eyes drifting towards me, and Melanie, and Pyrrha, and Nora…huh, maybe she was just looking for a fight.

"Spars will be determined either by a randomizer, or by matchups that I determine as necessary or beneficial to the combatants," Goodwitch briskly answered, before peering over her glasses to glare at Yang. "You would do well to dissuade yourself of any notions that Sparring class is meant to settle grudges, and any attempts to treat it as such will be _harshly_ reprimanded. Is everyone clear?"

A sea of nods had her turning to the randomizer, much to our collective relief. "Now, the order of the matches will be determined by the randomizer today, and each team will send their leader and one non-partner team member up for selection, for a total of ten bouts."

Members were quickly chosen, as Ruby chose Yang, Jaune selected Nora, and I reluctantly went with Melanie. 'There's a less than zero chance that Yang gets an opponent that she'll want to tear to shreds. If she gets either Melanie or I, this could end badly. If she gets _Nora_, this will one hundred percent end catastrophically.'

Goodwitch also seemed to think so, judging by the glares she sent our way, but appeared resigned to the certainty of property damage as she started the randomizer. "Our first bout will be…"

And so sparring began in earnest. And for a combatant whose style revolved around countermeasures against opponents based on visualization and prior knowledge, this class was a treasure trove of information for me. It was also a series of spectacles that, despite having watched the show, dazzled me to watch the characters themselves fight in person.

There was Ruby in all her prodigious skill. With Petal Burst and Crescent Rose, she ran and carved flowery circles around her opponent, before taking her distance and using her superhuman kinetic vision to snipe her opponent's Aura below the regulation limit.

Jaune, by gods, Jaune. The Arc heir was indefinably strong compared to how he'd started out in the show. His strength was massive, constantly having the other fighter on the back foot. His skill and technique left a huntsmen-in-training with a superior weapon matchup grasping for strategies. And the one time that his opponent managed to find an opening through Crocea Mors and land a hit, Jaune's stupidly large Aura took the blow without an issue, before Jaune revealed the opening as a trap to lure the other combatant in before ending the match.

Cardin, on the other hand, had the universal misfortune of facing Yang. He turned his misfortune into his own stupid error by attempting to flirt with Yang, claiming his reluctance to hit 'such a pretty face.' Yang, already dealing with some irritation, proceeded to overpower Cardin's brute strength with her refined and honed power, pounding Ember Celica into Cardin's armor before nearly knocking Cardin's jaw loose with Burn.

Just as unbelievably, Nora was matched against Melanie, with both friends amused at the prospect of another fight. Well, Nora was amused. Melanie was putting up more of a brave front than anything else. The following fight was fierce, fast-paced, and closer than I expected. Melanie made up for her lack of educational acumen with battle instincts and smooth movements, weaving around Magnhild countless times to slice Nora with her heels. Even when Nora activated High Voltage to punch my teammate out to range, what ensued was a blistering exchange of explosives and Fire Dust shots. Eventually though, Melanie's lower Aura and lower firepower were the girl's undoing, but praise was doled out to both fighters by Goodwitch, right before criticism of their recklessness was dished out.

"Kouzai Higure vs. Sky Lark." I gazed over at the dark-haired member of CRDL, finding cautious blue eyes staring back at my shades. As we both made our way to the locker rooms to change as the current bout ran, I considered what my options were.

'I definitely have the edge in power and speed, not to mention my ranged abilities. Sky's got the edge in reach, but I can about match that with Mirror's Edge. But not to brag, but I don't think that Sky's exactly a match for me. That doesn't mean that the matchup has to be a waste though. How do I change things so that both him and I can get something out of it?' After a minute of though, the answer came to me, and I sported my own grin. 'This'll either go _really_ well, or _really_ shitty.'

After a few more minutes, I stepped out of the locker room and onto the arena, staring down Sky armed with Feather's Edge. As I walked towards the center of the arena, however, some whispers broke out, and the reason why was rather obvious.

"Mr. Higure, may I ask where your weapons are? You appear to be missing your main weapon and defensive option." The weight of Mirror's Edge was missing from my back, and my hands were free of my white gauntlet. Turning towards Goodwitch, I pulled out Luna from beneath my arm sheath and Luna from the holster on my back. Both white weapons shined and contrasted against my black clothing and sunglasses.

"I've got my weapons right here, professor." I kept my eyes on Sky as I spoke, and the man's face was one of disbelief at my choice. His thought process was rather obvious, given that a knife and pistol were commonly a poor matchup for a halberd and long-range firearm.

"I would advise against overconfidence, Mr. Higure. Such egos have been the fall of many huntsmen and huntresses." Goodwitch was not pleased, and her icy tone reflected as much.

"Well, isn't the point of this class to test our skills against those of other students in preparation for actual combat? Sometimes when we're out in the field, we'll be placed into unfavorable circumstances such as having lower Aura, a poor weapon matchup or having a weapon be nonfunctional or broken. Since I _do_ have other weapons, why not test out using them in normally-unseen combinations and matchups." Goodwitch appeared to accept the logical nature of my argument, and I turned to Sky, knowing what I would say next would upset the polearm wielder.

"Besides, these weapons will be enough for this." True to form, Sky's face twisted into an expression of anger, and his hands tightened on Feather's Edge.

"…Very well. Both fighters, take your positions." It seemed that the goodwill I'd won with Goodwitch was lost from being cocky, as we both readied ourselves. "Begin."

I immediately dodged the opening shot from Feather's Edge, and began circling to the side opposite of Sky's front foot. The armored fighter had to pivot with his feet crossed, slowing his rate of rotation as I sped towards him with my movement like a spiral. I had the opaqueness of my sunglasses reduced slightly, so the rate of perception from Chronometry was higher, allowing me to plan a step ahead. 'Alright, I'm getting into his range soon, so the first thing that he'll try to do is…yup.'

I watched as Sky sharply pivoted to level the shaft of Feather's Edge at me. With a flash, a high-powered shot of Fire Dust streaked towards me, and I swayed out of the way and stepped into the halberd's range. Panicking, Sky thrusted towards my torso, and I tilted Luna while channeling Aura into the blade, causing the weapon to light up with hints of red, yellow and silver. With a shower of sparks, the knife collided with the shaft of Feather's Edge, and began sliding down the handle towards Sky's hands. Yanking his weapon back up to avoid getting sliced, Sky's attention was on my left hand instead of my right, and I took advantage of his inattention to level Corona at his unarmored stomach, letting loose three regular Lightning Dust shots. Each took a chunk of Sky's Aura, especially considering the expanse of armor on his chest, but as I kicked off I saw that the exchange had left Sky with some Aura left. The polearm user was now eyeing me warily, attempting to follow my every movement. Good.

Dashing forward again, I closed in on Sky's range, but right before I entered the weapon's radius, I aimed and threw Luna at Sky's head. The knife already past the halberd's edge, Sky was forced to retract his weapon back to guard with the weapon's shaft, but as Luna skidded off Sky's weapon, Sky's eyes widened once he saw that I was inches away from him. Planting my feet, I slugged Sky across the jaw before grabbing Feather's Edge, and as Sky's hand instinctively tightened against his weapon, I swung around and swept a leg out, upending Sky's posture. Using a momentary factor of Burst, I threw Sky into the air, letting the polearm user become aware of his precarious position by the arena's edge for the first time. As Sky attempted to right himself, I pulled Corona out again, and fired another three shots at him. So busy was he guarding against the first two that he had no chance of returning to the ring, and the third shot impacted against his Aura moments before he hit the ground. With a loud crash, Sky and Feather's Edge hit the ground before silence resounded.

"Winner by Aura level and ring-out, Kouzai Higure." I walked over the arena edge and hopped off, heading over towards a laid-out Sky to offer him a hand.

"Your speed and strength are rather decent, and your ranged option looks like it packs a punch. I'd mix some feints in to throw people off, and expand your awareness of the battlefield to make your defense tighter." Sky watched incredulously as I gave my analysis, before giving a begrudging smirk and taking my hand. Hauling the taller student to his feet, I waited for him to retrieve his weapon before we walked towards Goodwitch, taking a detour so that I could reclaim Luna.

"An astute analysis, Mr. Higure. I would also add for Mr. Lark to employ more unarmed techniques to expand his close-range potential." Sky nodded furiously at Goodwitch's words, as the professor turned to me. "As for you, Mr. Higure, you fought well, with efficient techniques and strategies. Furthermore, you did not rely on a singular method of victory and ensured your opponent was put in a situation of near-guaranteed loss. However, I would caution against the constant application of such a zealous method, as a lack of forethought could potentially lead to injuries against another student. Furthermore, note that you may not always be placed in a matchup wherein you can leverage your strengths to seize victory. I expect that future matchups should be fought with that respect and seriousness in mind."

"If there's something I've learned in the last five years, professor," I lowered my shades for a moment to stare at Goodwitch's green irises with my silver ones, "it's to always fight seriously. But as to what situation you find yourself, or place yourself in, that is something that I seek to leave to my discretion." Making my way back towards the stands, I took my seat as the next match's fighters stepped in.

"Damn, Kouzai! You were styling all over Sky during that match. I bet Little Birdy Winchester isn't too happy about that." Melanie was gleeful, despite moving her sore arms gingerly. A quick look across the stands confirmed that, yes, Cardin was not pleased with the double losses his team had sustained.

"It wasn't my intention to 'style', but there's been quite a few times where I've fought in less than optimal situations, so I figured that this class would be a good training ground to deal with some of those situations." I kept my eyes on Goodwitch, and on her tense posture as she observed the match before her. "It doesn't seem like the professor is too happy with my thought process though."

"You did look like you were holding back against Sky," Miltia replied, playfully poking Melanie's sore spots to elicit all manner of yelps and squeaks from her sister. "She might to look to take away your ability to do such a thing in the future."

"If it happens, it happens. But I'd hope that she considers the potential benefits to her students' education more than the loss of pride from those with hurt feelings." The last match finished, and as the students returned to the stands, Goodwitch turned to the class.

"Before we end class for the day, I have one more announcement to make. As part of a new initiative by Headmaster Ozpin, this class will be aided by a recently-licensed huntsman or huntress. This individual will be available both during class and off-class hours, and will serve as a marker and example to students of the level conduct and performance expected upon graduation."

'This…this never happened in the show…' I watched as a brown-cloaked individual stepped into the arena, coming to stand beside Goodwitch.

"Consequently, this individual will also be available as a sparring opponent, either selected by me during class or by appointment during select off-class hours. Keep in mind, this professor is a competent fighter, and should not be compared to the level of first, second, third or even fourth-year students.'

One hand appeared from inside the cloak, with a mocha skin tone and dressed in a white sleeve. The hand slowly reached up to pull the hood back, and my eyes widened. 'No way…'

Shoulder-length almond hair framed an elegant face with hazel eyes. One hand was placed on her hip, revealing her brown leather pants and white and gold top.

"Please welcome, Assistant Professor Amber Autumn."

As polite clapping rang out, the Fall Maiden looked around the room and smiled. "Thanks for having me. I'm looking forward to an interesting time at Beacon."

… … …

… … …

SLASH

This city was a monument to the flawed nature of humanity.

STAB

A festering ground of their divides, despite continued failures.

BANG

Which is why humans needed to be taken care of, no matter the cost. It was all for the Faunus.

"Commander Taurus! I'd like to report."

Adam paused in his slaughter of the Grimm in this quadrant, only to realize that he'd already cleared the quadrant in his haze. He shook his head and turned to face a burly bear Faunus.

"Tell me, does the report involve details on the whereabouts of the Specter, or where he has taken Blake Belladona?"

"Umm…no sir. That task has been left to the brothers and sisters still in Vale. I-"

"All unrelated matters can be addressed by my lieutenant, Banesaw. If they are unrelated to the Specter or Blake, do not approach me again."

"But sir, there are operational issues that should be-"

"_If I am approached again on news unrelated to what I have discussed, I will not stay my blade_."

"U-understood."

The sounds of scampering quickly faded, and Adam turned back to the expanse of wasteland, and to his thoughts.

"Blake…where are you?"

**A/N: Whew, another chapter down, and a stinger fixed. It seems like I'm covering multiple episodes of Volume 1 per chapter, so there'll likely be several chapters or more of original plot going. Sorry again for being a tad later than usual, and I'll see everyone next week.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 02/17/2020**


	26. Chapter 23: Appearances Can Be

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Happy President's Day everyone! Thankfully I was able to get this one out a little earlier today, though the scale is kind of balanced by the extreme amount of work I've got coming my way this week. Fear not though, for I am mighty…anyone get the reference? No? Alright then, onto reviews.**

**Oblivious IJ: Well, I'll admit that there's a good deal of my writing to smirk at, but a little clarification on the source of your enjoyment never hurts.**

**AlexFalTon: Ah yes, the evening affliction of the inability to English, bane of all writers and conversationalists. And right on the money, that there's going to be quite an interesting dynamic surrounding Kouzai and all former and current members of the White Fang introduced thus far.**

**R26: Honestly, I'm rather surprised that Jaune in particular didn't experience a painful near-death experience, owing to the fact that he shared a room with Pyrrha and Nora. Pyrrha **_**might**_** be conscientious enough not to gut an unaware intruder, but Nora would have no such compunctions. The only exception to her wrath might be Ren, for obvious reasons. And the Ilia bit was actually supposed to be more of a reference to Ilia's preferences and less of a nod to her reading material, though it works magnificently that way as well. In terms of V7, there's definitely a lot to unpack so I wouldn't fault any other writer from taking time to digest developments for any plots. Kouzai also wouldn't take a bet against Nora, but the fact that her pancake-eating speed is comparable to the actions of immortals is emphasis enough. Oh, and for school, I'm actually in grad school at the moment, but I've also got some work priorities on my plate.**

**PyromaniacRabbit: Yup, the fact that Adam doesn't have clear confirmation of Blake's abandonment of the White Fang is gonna lead to all sorts of shenanigans. As for Blake, it has to be something of an open secret to Ozpin's inner circle by now of Blake's heritage. Although her potential involvement in the attack on Amber is worrying, note that her attention was a tad occupied by Cinder, Roman and really every other combatant on the battlefield. As Ozpin has already shown himself to be a ludicrously cautious individual, there'll likely need to be something more required before a move is made. You have a good point though.**

**Guest: The idea of writing the other timelines occurred to me, but I will readily admit that writing three connected stories concurrently is beyond my abilities and range of time commitment at the moment. Maybe when I get to a more comfortable spot in the narrative, or have more free time in my schedule such a thing might get put back on the table.**

Chapter 23: Appearances Can Be

Chapter Date: 02/17/2020

"Did you see that new professor? Straight-up hottie!"

"And a certified huntress who could likely kick your ass eight ways to Sunday."

"It'd be worth it!"

As combat class ended with the first-years filing out of the combat arena, the class was abuzz with conversations about our new assistant professor. I was not immune to such thoughts, but were focused on a slightly different angle.

'Amber as an assistant professor? What the hell was Ozpin thinking?...nevermind, it makes sense. After the attack, he likely took defensive measures after being egged on by Ironwood as well. Shackling down the Fall Maiden to Beacon is a risky move though, even for Ozpin…'

"She's certainly seen her fair share of scrapes," Ilia commented, and I glanced at her as she pointed to her right arm. "After all, she wasn't making too much of an effort to hide it."

'I suppose Ilia would catch onto a detail like that quick, given the fact that Ozpin had Ironwood whip up an Atlesian prosthetic for Amber.' I nodded in response to Ilia's comment. "I can tell that some people are gonna be chomping at the bit to get into the ring with her, either to fight her or flirt with her."

"Oh? And which will you be doing, Kouzai?" I pivoted to glare at a smirking Melanie, while Miltia had the good grace to hide her smile behind her hand.

"For the last time-"

"OOOH! Are we talking about Kouzai's love life? One of my _favorite_ topics!" Like magic, Nora was by KMMI's side with her arms around mine and Melanie's shoulders, to our mutual displeasure.

"In the name of all that is good and holy on Remnant, stop insinuating things about and interfering with my love life!" I ducked under Nora's arm and turned to face a sheepishly-approaching JNPR. "You all couldn't even wait until we got to the cafeteria for lunch before letting her loose?"

Amazingly, it was Pyrrha that defended her team this time. "Well, you know Nora can get right before lunch…"

"…Yes, but my point still stands." I looked back to see that Nora had substituted me for Miltia with both twins in headlocks.

"Aww, but Kooooouzaaaaiiii, for such a big flirter-"

"_I haven't flirted with anyone!_"

"-You've been so alone." Nora actually looked saddened by the thought. "I mean, think of all the potential girlfriends you've missed out on."

'Is it fair to blame Prim for this since she's a goddess? Or should I stick with blaming Qrow?' I sighed. "Let's take stock shall we? We've got-"

"WE'RE HERE! SorryKouzaitalktoyouafterIgetfooooood…" Kicking up dust with her exit, Nora faded down the cafeteria hall, somehow oblivious to the fact that she was dragging both screaming twins along. I deadpanned at JNPR, before looking up, _way up_, at Jaune.

"Well, since Ren is relatively useless at reining Nora in, I suppose that task falls to the team leader, huh? I'd rather she not be giving half my team stiff necks on the daily." Well, at least Jaune's nervous habit of rubbing the back of his neck hadn't changed.

"Yeah, I suppose we'll have to work on it considering we've got four years here…"

"Seriously, Kouzai, am I really whipped?"

… … …

"Aaaaannnnyyyyways, back to Kouzai's love life!"

"Pfffffftttt!" I nearly choked on my food before sending a baleful stare towards an innocently-smiling Nora, her figure flanked by equally-massive plates of pancakes and meats. Wiping my mouth, I reached _deep_ into my bottomless well of composure. "We're _still_ on this? Fine, let's take stock of 'all the potential girlfriends that I've missed' in the last five years, shall we? First there's _you-_"

"OFF-LIMITS!"

"Exactly. Then there's Ms. Fujiko, who's got _at least_ a few decades on us." I had the pleasure of watching Nora and Ren shudder in discomfort at the thought of Ms. Fujiko and I. "Then there's Pyrrha…" I deadpanned over at the champion to watch her fluster in embarrassment.

"W-well, i-it's not that you aren't, um, nice…but I just don't-"

"I'll spare both of us the embarrassment, you've had the hots for Jaune since you both met," I replied, watching both members of the power couple blush. "Then we've got _Winter Schnee_, and you know what? Why don't we throw in _Raven_ as well, hmm?" Nora and Ren paled.

"So frigid…so much stabbing…"

"Case in point. Moving forward, we've got Blake, who hates my guts, Yang, who _really_ hates my guts, Ruby, who seems to only dislike me but will lead me to death by Yang-pummeling, and Weiss, who'd sooner freeze me in a block of ice than make nice with me." All of JNPR and KMMI winced, before turning to look at the members of RWBY seated at a separate table with all the subtlety of a drunk man trying to make it up his five-floor walkup.

"Wait a second!" Nora perked up and pointed a finger in my direction. "You forgot about Ilia, Miltia and Melanie-"

"Who are my teammates, and with whom I won't be do anything with." I instantly shut her down before taking a sip of my drink. 'With two of them being my bosses' daughters and surrogate daughters, and the last not even being attracted to my gender.'

"While it's reassuring to _hear_ that you're not trying to get with my sister or I, forgive me for having a tough time believing that you have _no_ ulterior motives involved with us." Melanie affixed me with a calculating look, before she was almost smacked into her food by Miltia.

"Melanie, he's had over a year at this point to have made any moves on either of us." I was inwardly taking back every preconception I had about red being the color of hotheadedness. "Honestly, if he hadn't insisted multiple times already that he's only attracted to girls, I would've thought that he was gay."

"You just _had_ to ruin it at the end…" I sighed over the sound of JNPR and KMMI's laughter, before pulling out my scroll to peruse our afternoon schedule. "Let's see here…we've got a Dust class, a class with Peach, and-"

"Hey Copycat!"

I looked up from my scroll at the familiar voice, though it wasn't one that I'd encountered just yet, and turned towards the voice. 'Now who could-ohhhh, yup, this makes _total sense_…'

A shirt, pants, boots and belts in various shades of brown. Enough fashion accessories to put even the twins and Weiss to shame, including a bracelet, scarf and necklaces. Her signature beret sat upon meticulously-styled brown-caramel locks, and aviator sunglasses covered a portion of her light-skinned face and her, daresay, chocolate-brown eyes.

Coco Adel was heading in our table's direction, and her gaze was definitely fixed on me. Stopping directly in front of me, she bent down slightly so that we were about eye level with one another. One pair of shades stared at another for a moment, before Coco smirked and straightened, putting a hand on her hip.

"So, _you're_ the one responsible for blowing up that Ursa Superior during initiation yesterday. Caught it on the monitors, along with the rest of Beacon. I gotta say, I can respect the gutsiness it takes to stick your arm into the mouth of a Grimm the size of a cottage. Buuut…you get major points deducted for copying my style!"

"…huh?"

"And not just mine, you're pretty much a Team CFVY ripoff!" Coco pointed over to a different table, where the other members of CFVY were seated. Yatsuhashi spared me a nod before placing a hand over his head, and Velvet was so embarrassed at the attention that she'd folded her ears over face.

And Fox? The _blind_ fighter literally waved at us and gave us two thumbs up!

Nonetheless, I had what was left of my reputation to defend at the moment. "I'm not exactly seeing where the blatant imitation is coming in, save for coincidentally also wearing sunglasses on my face, which is a stylistic choice that I made years ago in _Mistral_."

"Yeah!" To my eternal horror, Nora jumped up in my defense. "He's had shades on for four years now!"

"Four years, huh? Hey Velves, how long have I had mine on again?" Coco called back to her table, and Velvet seemed to curl up even further from being called out in the middle of the careferia.

"…five years…"

"Ha HA!" Coco whirled around triumphantly. "Look's like someone _is_ a copycat after all!"

I must've been channeling Ozpin from how blank my face must've looked. "For making a fashion choice a year apart while on opposite sides of Remnant?" Coco looked taken aback for a moment before recovering.

"It's not just the shades, buddy. You've also got a stupidly large sword, shoulder armor _and_ hail from Mistral like Yatsuhashi!"

"Coco, I'd ask that you keep me out of this."

"Not to mention, you've got that whole sleeveless shirt, scars and hand-to-hand things just like Fox!"

"…"

"Aaand! You've…huh, how exactly are you copying Velvet?"

"…I've got a mental Semblance and use a Hard-Light Dust tool?"

"AHA! You've got a mental Semblance and use a Hard-Light Dust tool!" Coco looked pleased with herself, despite the fact that I'd supplied the last comparison myself. Then, her smile grew into a smirk, and I dreaded whatever came out of her mouth next.

"Sooo, since you're clearly a first-year who's oh-so-similar to my team…how's about a little sparring after classes before dinner?"

"…what?"

"Yup. A little sparring to give the little firsties some tips. Think of it as getting some care from your loving upperclassmen." Coco nodded sagely, oblivious to the general astonishment. "After all, you should have a period after classes for self-directed sparring, perfect for cutting your teeth on new strategies and opponents. In this case, that's my wonderful team and I."

'Huh, looks like we do have that sort of free period,' I noted the slot in our schedules, before paling at a realization. 'Wait, sparring with a member of CFVY? What am I gonna have to face? Fulcrum? _Sharp Retribution_? GIANDUJA? _ANISEDORA_?! Nope nope nope, very much in favor of making it to the weekend, so that's gonna be a big fat-"

"HE'LL DO IT!" I spun my neck so fast I almost broke it, but the words were already out of Nora's mouth. "He doesn't want any handicaps either, so everything's on the table! Weapons, Dust, Semblances!"

My hands were en route to clap over Nora's mouth as Coco grinned. "Brave first-years we've got this year. I think we're going to have a lot of fun together. Well, I suppose I'll be seeing you after class then!" The second-year leader strolled away, leaving a five-table radius of silence for about ten seconds. I moaned as my head hit the table, thoughts of lunch forgotten. "Guys, _please_, keep a handle on Nora before she becomes the death of me…"

… … …

"Soooooo…this is kind of awkward…"

'Deep breaths, Kouzai. She's fifteen and she's socially awkward beyond belief, this is just her way of making conversation.' Sitting next to me was my Dust class partner, _Ruby_ _Rose_. 'Why, in all their wisdom, did Ozpin and the other professors decide splitting up teams would be a good idea?' Obviously it made sense practically, as Huntsmen would be expected to work alongside other individuals or teams with whom they previously had little or no interaction with. But it still sucked, _especially now_!

I focused on the preliminary Dust chart on the table in front of Ruby and I, before chancing a look at her expression. Silver eyes the same shade as mine stared back quizzically, though the girl's mouth was in an uncharacteristic frown at the moment. 'Right, still unhappy with me for the whole Dust robbery incident…'

"Well, at least it's not quite as bad as our partners," I joked, gesturing to a few tables ahead of us, where Weiss and Ilia were fiercely bickering with one another, and despite their perfect Dust handling it felt like some type of explosive reaction would occur soon.

"Guess that's true, and I'm sure we could've ended up with worse," Ruby giggled, as we stared around the room for a moment at some of the other pairs. Blake and Nora, Jaune and Cardin, Melanie and Sky…

'Dear gods, seriously, who thought this was a good idea?' I refocused my attention for a moment on making sure that the Dust mixture was stable, before attempting to address the Goliath at the table. "Look, Ruby…I'm sorry about what happened that night during the Dust robbery. I was completely fine with intervening in the fight to save you, but I didn't feel like dealing with police inquiries and Goodwitch all night, so I ran. I apologize if that caused you grief."

Ruby was silent for a moment, swirling the Fire-and-Wind Dust combination. "I think I was annoyed about that at first, but I kind of understand why you did it, because Professor Goodwitch can be _really_ scary. I guess I was more annoyed at the fact that I never got any explanation or reason for it until now, and got kind of dragged into the mood that the rest of my team has towards you."

I winced. "Yeaaaaaahhh, it's not…great, the fact that they all kind of despise me."

Then Ruby smiled, and my entire faith in humanity was restored by the pure innocence she possessed. "Personally, I think that Weiss shouldn't have much reason to hate you at least. I actually think that it's sweet that Uncle Qrow found someone that cares for him and that he cares for. _Maybe_ Winter could stand to be a _bit_ less strict than she is, but I hear that she's a lot more relaxed than before, and her strictness helps keep Qrow from falling off the wagon, so I suppose that's good."

"Yeah, well, don't tell Weiss any of what you just said, otherwise we'll both be on the chopping block. Gods help anyone that tries to tell her that Winter is anything less than perfect. As for the other two…" I trailed off as I focused momentarily on the laser-intense, burning glare that was being levelled at me from across the room. "Let's just say that your sister isn't pleased that I'm your current partner…"

Ruby sighed, then looked back apologetically. "Yeah, Yang is definitely one to hold a grudge, and apparently so are Weiss and Blake. I'm sure they'll all come around though…you know…eventually…"

"I'll take it." I resigned myself to my fate, and we both quickly finished the Dust experiment. As we returned to our seats, an idea occurred to me. "You know, if it'll help take the edge off from the killer intent that I'm getting from your sister, you guys are always welcome to watch the sparring match that I've got with CFVY later. I'm sure that your teammates will take great pleasure in watching the stuffing get beat out of me."

Ruby giggled again. "Yeah, that would be nice, thank you. I think that they all already put big bets on you losing badly in the betting pool."

"Well, far be it for me to-wait, betting pool? There's a betting pool going on?"

"Eep! I said nothing!" At her denials, the bell rung, and the crimson reaper disappeared in a cloud of petals. Bewildered, I exited the classroom and waited for my team to join me. Eventually, Ilia finally came out, and stalked over to the twins and I with an irritated huff.

"Uhh, hey there, Ilia. How was working with-"

"_Don't_ mention her name to me right now! Gods, that girl is _infuriating_!" Ilia blinked, and her grey-blue eyes shifted to a deep red. The color change caused Melanie and Miltia to step back.

"Those eyes…are you related to that blonde-haired bitch?" Melanie questioned, but I held a hand up.

"She has a name, and it's Yang. And no, they're not related whatsoever. Ilia just has a special ability in that regard," I stated wearily, laying a hand on Ilia's shoulder. "We've got another class coming up, so why don't you tell us what happened while we walk."

Ilia took a deep breath, then nodded as her eyes returned to their natural color. Walking alongside me, with Melanie and Miltia walking cautiously behind us, we began heading for Peach's class as she spoke.

"So, I guess neither of you have figured out yet. Not sure how you would've, considering that it's only been one day since we met. Regardless, you should know, that I'm a Faunus, chameleon Faunus to be exact. What you saw is an innate ability I have as my Faunus trait, to change the colors of my eyes, skin and hair if I so desire. Sometimes that change also happens against my will and knowledge, but I normally have a pretty good handle on it." Melanie was slack-jawed, while Miltia appeared surprised, but also in thought.

"So…do you also have a semblance, or is your Faunus trait also your Semblance?" Miltia asked, and Ilia shook her head.

"I currently don't have a semblance, but I don't think that my trait _is_ my Semblance." Ilia looked sheepish, almost embarrassed. "I guess I'm like both of you as well, in that I haven't discovered what my Semblance is yet."

"Yeah, but you can give yourself an instant makeover whenever you want! And it's real! The only person we know who can even do close to the same thing is N-mpmph!" Melanie wrestled with Miltia's hand pressed against her mouth.

"No one that we've encountered," Miltia added weakly, as all assembled rolled their eyes. Still though, I mentally gave Miltia props for keeping Neo's identify secret, considering all the consequences that giving her name up in _Beacon_ might have.

"It's definitely a benefit in some areas, but being a Faunus openly still causes more grief and suffering than most can imagine." Ilia's eyes looked off towards something in the distance, far beyond any space. "And _Weiss Schnee_ is just as ever a proponent of that."

"Umm, I thought your travels gave you a little more insight into the fact that the SDC isn't the sole cause of Faunus suffering on Remnant." I gently reminded my partner, and she jolted back to the present.

"Not the _sole_ cause, sure, but definitely one of, if not the largest. And the attitude of its heiress certainly doesn't help matters. Gods, that girl has not changed at all from our school days." I nodded sympathetically to Ilia's mutterings, before her throwaway comment had me freeze.

"_Our_ school days?" I asked, catching the word as Ilia looked back at me. In my head, something was itching at my near-database of RWBY information, but I couldn't remember what.

"When I was younger, I was able to attend a prep school in Atlas, and managed to keep my Faunus identity secret. During that time, I'm ashamed to admit that I was a bystander to, and sometimes even participant in insulting Faunus, all so that I could 'fit in' better." Ilia's eyes and freckles turned deep blue at the memory, and the twins looked downtrodden. I was getting closer to remembering though.

"And Weiss was…one of these bullies?" I hazarded a guess, only for Ilia to shake her head.

"No, she wasn't one of the vocal bigots in the class. She was always off to the side, haughty and detached from the 'normal' goings-on of others. But I guess that silence from the heiress to Remnant's biggest employer of Faunus labor was enough for the other girls to continue their insults and slurs. But that's not even the worst part."

"And the worst part is?" I asked cautiously. 'She may have let go of the White Fang's beliefs and maybe her blind hate of the SDC, but she still has at least a few issues with Weiss.'

Ilia's hands clenched. "She doesn't even remember any of that ever happening…not even the day that I lost my parents…that I turned blue in front of the whole class and my friends turned on me..."

Melanie stepped up to hug Ilia around her shoulders. "I'm sorry you went through all that."

From behind, I saw Ilia shift bright red, with her eyes, freckles and hair turning yellow as she glanced over at Melanie and back at Miltia and I.

"Don't be. I broke their teeth." Ilia gave a savage grin, before she sighed and shifted back to normal. "Still though, I thought…I thought if I'd managed to change, even a little bit, since those days, maybe she had too. I suppose I was wrong though."

Ilia began walking away with Melanie, and Miltia and I followed as I processed everything. 'Now I remember! Ilia's backstory and the reason she joined the White Fang…that's right, she attended an Atlas prep school. I didn't think that it was the same one that Weiss was at, but it makes sense. But…there's something else, something that she didn't mention there…' I just had no idea what it was.

… … …

"Please…please, tell me it's finally over…" Melanie exaggeratedly reached a limp arm up from her seat, her face pressed against the table surface. Miltia wordlessly took the arm and dragged her twin up and towards the door.

"It was only six classes, and most of it was material that Kouzai had already taught to us…but yes, it was difficult…" Miltia admitted as she met Ilia and I by the doorway.

"Yeah, but now it's time to FIGHT!" Nora shouted, picking up _my entire team_ in her arms. I'm positive she would've started running with us in tow Scooby-Doo style if Jaune hadn't caught her arm before takeoff.

"Let's remember your strength and let Kouzai and the others get some air," Jaune reminded Nora, who released us with a pout on her face.

"That's rich coming from you…" Nora muttered, before brightening and turning to me. "More importantly though, are you ready to fight? The betting pool is raring to go!"

"Huh, that _does_ remind me…_who exactly_ started this betting pool?" I whispered in a good approximation of Ms. Fujiko's tone, which meant that Nora and Ren were absolutely shaking in their shoes. I grasped Nora's shoulders and stared her directly in her furtive, fearful eyes.

The referenced demi-god lasted nearly five seconds before she broke. "It was Ren!" she shouted, pointing towards her unflappable boyfriend. On closer inspection, I saw that Ren was only unflappable at the moment due to _using Tranquility_.

"Ren…" I growled, advancing on one of my oldest and dearest friends on Remnant, "Why are you in charge of a betting pool on whether or not I'm about to get my ass handed to me by CFVY?"

Ren, to his credit, remained calm as he spilled the beans. "I was selected as an impartial warden over the bets placed by Jaune."

"Dude!" Jaune cut himself off as I rounded on him now. Despite our massive height and weight disparity, I apparently still had the edge on intimidation, because he didn't even wait for me to ask a question before gesturing at Pyrrha. "Pyrrha came up with the idea for the betting pool!"

"Jaune!" His girlfriend looked betrayed, but had other priorities to deal with as I approached her with a shocked look on my face.

"You? _You_, of all people, came up with the idea? How, and why?"

Pyrrha for a moment was still, before an uncharacteristically smug grin appeared on her face. "Call it payback for betting on me during the Mistral Regional Tournament."

I was flabbergasted. "The tournament? Woman, that was over _four years ago_!"

"Men forget, but never forgive. Women forgive, but never forget," the champion recited, and JNPR and KMMI shared a laugh solely at my expense as I sagged right outside the sparring arenas.

"Fine, you know what? I'm gonna waltz on in there, fight whoever I'm facing, and _win_. I'll even place a bet on myself winning, just so that I ruin everyone else's bets, again! How do you like them apples?" I slapped some lien into Ren's hand, and walked into the locker rooms while shaking my head. 'We've been here _two days_ and it's already a madhouse…let's just have this sparring match and be done with it…hopefully I get Yatsuhashi, or maybe even Fox…just don't give me Coco…'

… … …

A brown-and-gold jacket and shorts covered a black undershirt and leggings. Armor protected her heels, toes, shoulders and arms, while her weapon was fastened by her back. Long brown hair and expressive brown eyes matched with the rabbit ears clearly conveying embarrassment at the moment.

'Actually, y'know what, I think I _will_ take Coco…' I stood across the sparring arena from Velvet Scarletina, while Coco was unexplainably acting as the referee. Meanwhile, Fox and Yatsuhashi were seated in the stands, alongside RWBY, JNPR, KMMI, CRDL and others. 'How many people were in on this betting pool?'

"Alright fresh meat, and Bun-bun, let's go over the rules. I have been informed by the powers-that-be that the copycat has already had a sparring match today in Goodwitch's. That being said, we'll be changing up the rules to make things a bit more exciting for the audience and fighters. Instead of a regulation tournament match, this will be a no-holds-barred, first hit match! That's right, the first person to land a clean hit on the other will be winner of the match, regardless of Aura level! So bust out the big guns, break out those Semblances, and get ready to tear into this sunglasses-wear, I mean, each other!" Coco finished and the peanut gallery went wild.

'Great, with Semblances, Dust and weapons on the table, that means that Anisedora and Photographic Memory are definitely coming into play. For a guy that uses information on fighting styles to get an edge, fighting someone who can literally use _all_ fighting styles is my worst nightmare!' I fiddled with my equipment as I took stock of my options. My musings were interrupted though as Velvet walked over to me.

"I'm really sorry about Coco, she can be a bit…overzealous at times, but she means well. I look forward to a good match." Flashing a nervous smile, I could do nothing against such earnestness but smile back. As we walked towards our starting positions about ten yards apart from one another, I put my thoughts towards victory, and _not_ on wondering how Velvet had an Australian accent while hailing from Vale.

'Okay, she can mimic any physical action I do with Photographic Memory, and copy any weapon that I bring out with Anisedora…It's like fighting myself, _along with a few other people_…but she _can't_ copy Semblances…so how would I beat a me that's without Chronometry?...Got it…'

At the proper distance, I turned to face Velvet, who had similarly put her serious face on and was no longer any hint of shy or meek. Taking out Mirror's Edge, I saw her eyes focus on the blade. Concentrating, I began circulating Aura throughout my body and to Chronometry, trying to get them in sync with each other.

Two times.

"Fighters, are you ready?" Coco called out from the side.

Three times.

"Ready," Velvet replied.

Four times.

"Ready." I kept my tone steady, despite the Aura output.

Five…times.

I stabbed Mirror's Edge into the ground, keeping a hand on it as I turned to the side to face Velvet.

"In three…"

I adjusted my stance, tensing my sword arm.

"Two…"

My back foot was placed against Mirror's Edge.

"One…"

A technique from my athletic days, to go from completely still…

"FIGHT!"

…to full acceleration.

With a factor of five times in Burst and Chronometry, I rocketed off of the embedded Mirror's Edge and launched towards Velvet, my left arm extended in some form of superman punch with my right arm bracing. The second-year was surprised to see my speed, but with Chronometry I could see her beginning to react to my charge.

Ten feet.

Velvet's leg began rising in a counter in time with my punch, and her eyes were focused on my left arm as the right shifted under the armored plates.

Five feet.

The Faunus' kick was in full motion now, and we were both moving towards one another as I began rotating.

One foot.

I removed my right arm from its position, and watched Velvet's eyes widen, just a fraction of a second too late. As I rotated, my left arm bent to guard against Velvet's kick as her leg scraped past the armor plates. With my right arm, I clutched Luna by the handle and thrusted the knife handle-first towards Velvet. The fist and handle impacted against Velvet's abdomen, sending the Faunus skidding back a few feet and clutching her stomach. Breaking my fall, I rolled onto my feet and stood at the ready, though with Burst and Chronometry powering down.

"…Winner: Kouzai Higure…" Coco sounded stunned, and for good reason as well. Looking up at the scoreboard, Velvet's Aura level showed that she'd lost around 10% from that singular blow. However, in just those few seconds, without taking any hits, my Aura had decreased by almost 15%. As it was, my muscles were twinging from the excessive use of Burst, and my eyes were stinging slightly as I bent over slightly.

"It was a good match." I looked up to see Velvet directly across from me, looking none the worse for wear. Instead of looking disappointed, the second-year actually looked pleased. "My opponents usually try to take advantage of their semblances or think of new moves against me. But to take a hit from nothing but brute speed, strength and little trickery is refreshing. I take it you noticed the reason for my hesitation?"

"Hah…hah…yeah. I noticed that your teammate Yatsuhashi also has armor on his left arm," I pointed out, while gesturing to my own. "The thing is, your teammate is right-handed, and likely uses that arm defensively. So when I came right out the gate with a left straight…"

"It took just a tad longer to get the counter timing right, and by then my attention was off the knife you had in your right arm. That was a nice addition by the way, since no one saw you use that weapon during the initiation yesterday."

"Well, I shouldn't be giving all my tricks away so early into the year." I tried sounding nonchalant but utterly failed while bent over. "Besides, you didn't even use your weapon."

"You can think of it as you moving quick enough to force me into hand-to-hand. But between you and me…" Velvet bent down and cupped her hands to whisper, "I asked to fight you instead of Coco since I'd hold back on you, while she…wouldn't. But in exchange, you have to split the lien you got from winning the match with me."

My jaw dropped, and I was speechless for a moment before I smirked. "I cannot believe you just used me to scam most of the first-years out of their lien."

"And Fox, and Yatsu, and definitely Coco," Velvet added, before straightening and extending a hand. "Just remember though, that trick won't work on me next time. I've memorized your moves now."

"Clearly, you're more devious than I gave you credit for." I took Velvet's hand to straighten myself out, before shaking it. "And for some strange reason, my strategies never work the second time around. Something about losing to me makes people _very_ motivated to shore up their weaknesses."

As I turned to face an incredulous Coco and a quickly-emerging Ren to dispense my payout, I smirked at Coco. "Thanks for the lesson, and the lien."

"Oh, you little…" Coco's expression smoothed out, before also smirking. "Next time, you're getting a Hyped Gianduja to the face, so help me gods."

I laughed, despite the cold sweat breaking out. "Looking forward to it."

… … …

… … …

Green eyes watched silently from the stands at the commotion surrounding Kouzai Higure, before swiveling over to a simmering blonde-haired, lilac-eyed girl grumbling about her lost lien. With a smirk and a skip in her step, she stepped out of the arena and towards the Bullheads to Vale. Luckily, the match had ended quickly, so there were still a reasonable number of civilians leaving Beacon for the day as well. As she boarded a bullhead, her thoughts turned to two individuals.

Yang Xiao Long. The daughter of that Monster. A quick search through her contacts had revealed one Taiyang Xiao Long's place of employment at Signal. Easy enough to pay a visit, but a second look revealed that he had children as well. The silver-eyed girl she'd already met, and while competent, wasn't enough to get her blood singing. This _Yang_, however, who looked so much like the Monster and like Raven Branwen…now _there_ was another potential Monster. It was her search for the girl that lead her to Beacon, and fortuitously towards the second individual.

Kouzai Higure. The name didn't ring a bell, but the boy's body language told her that he'd known who she was, which was delightfully intriguing. Not to mention, he had the technique necessary to repel her, and potentially even _counter her_. And he also had different weapons than the last time they'd met, which was yet another mystery towards the boy.

She squirmed slightly in her seat, itching to return to Beacon and test Hush against their weapons. But…she had orders, and she was loath to suffer the wrath of 'Fire Bitch', or whoever was _her_ boss. For now though, she could tell Roman what she'd learned, and maybe have it trickle back enough to factor her new toys into the plans for the Fall Maiden.

Green eyes blinked and became pink and brown for a moment.

Yes…so much fun to be had…

**A/N: So, a little bit of fluff, a little bit of development, and a little bit of fighting. Overall, not too bad if I do say so myself. I've been itching to introduce team CFVY into the mix, though I will say that they were not actually used as inspiration by Kouzai. It **_**is**_** an interesting coincidence though. I think that things have stabilized at this point, so hopefully I manage to keep everything running smoothly before either the writing or work picks up again. I will say that I've got plans in store for this volume though. But those'll have to wait for next time.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 02/24/2020**


	27. Chapter 24: Put Off Till Tomorrow

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Happy Monday all! Can't believe that we've gotten here, but we're just shy of the six-month mark of this story! I can't even imagine what things will look like come the anniversary of this fic, but I'm dying to see how high this ship can fly! Now for reviews.**

**AlexFalTon: With After the Fall and the upcoming Before the Dawn, Team CFVY are definitely some of my favorite characters, and are definitely some of the RWBYverse's most developed. And when it comes to making friends in a school or hyperactive, violent, hormonal teenagers, fighting is assuredly a damn good way to find and make friends. And enemies, but who's counting? In terms of Kouzai's tentative acquaintanceship with Ruby, Kouzai would need to commit wholesale cold-blooded murder in front of her to permanently repel someone as pure and good as Ruby Rose. As for backstories, most of Ilia's explanation is canon from one of the Volume 5 character shorts, while everything about Neo that I wrote in the stinger is pure speculation.**

**Gizmo Gear: Glad to keep things interesting, but rest assured that after some quality time for fluff and development that things will start ramping up again.**

**R26: Nothing causes more chaos, and more terror, for reasonable individuals than potential harem speculation. And if Jaune ever did come across either Pyrrha or Nora changing in the dorms, well, let's just assume that his training that night would be extra hard. As for grad school, I've still got a few years left of education before diving into the deep end. With regards to the chapter, I am indeed using the characterization of CFVY from After the Fall, so Fox is up to his comedic ways. Interactions with Yatsuhashi will definitely be coming, and Kouzai had best hope that Coco doesn't have her eye on him, haha.**

**Raidentensho: Whew, having anyone he knows around to see him working as the Specter would give Kouzai the chills, and not in a good way. After all, even in a TV show or piece of media, only so many coincidences can pile up before things start to fall into place.**

**Oblivious IJ: Well, at the moment, I don't think anyone's trying to claim Kouzai, unless it's Neo trying to stab him with Hush. I'm also curious as to who you currently consider to be the other Waifu?**

**PyromaniacRabbit: You've pretty much nailed Kouzai's fighting style. Leveraging your strengths as far as they'll go is a strategy as old as time, though I'm torn on whether to take offense at the comment on underhanded tactics, haha. Once the other canon characters catch on to his methods though, boy will his number be up.**

Chapter 24: Put Off Till Tomorrow

Chapter Date: 02/24/2020

"Combatants, are you ready?"

"READY!"

"Not really…no chance of bribing you with pancakes?"

"Sorry, Kouzai, but I've been looking forward to sparring with you again for a while!"

"Three, two, one…begin!"

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM

'Ah nuts…' Swinging Mirror's Edge around, I placed the blade in front as a defensive shield against the bombardment of grenades from Magnhild. Planting my feet, I weathered the forceful assault as I counted the number of explosions at four. 'Figures that she'd use the strategies I gave her _against_ me…'

As a particularly well-placed shot burst against Mirror's Edge, I slid back a few inches and tensed for the last shot to be fired. 'Alright, now where's she-oh _hell_!' Using Chronometry, I had just enough time to swing my sword through the cloud of pink dust to crash against Magnhild's hammer form. Excited teal eyes appeared through the haze.

"Rrrrgh…tricky of you, using a double firing on that last shot…" I pushed against my friend's weapon, both of us locked in a power struggle that'd gone her way every time we'd sparred in years past.

"Well, you know how it is. If I don't fix my weaknesses as soon as you exploit them, you'll just get a big head after winning once," Nora breezed, though her eyes remained sharp while standing firm against my Burst-aided strength. "Now, how's about we _spark_ things up!"

"NOPE!" I disengaged immediately, jumping back as Nora pressed another button along Magnhild's shaft. Instead of shifting into its ranged form, the hammer began lighting up from pink electrical currents running up and down the weapon. Now re-energized, the electric powerhouse rocketed towards me. Splitting Mirror's Edge, I attempted to capitalize on having two swords to her one, but Nora's relentless assault only left me enough time to land glancing blows. Meanwhile, every clash of our weapons sent Lightning Dust running down my arms, draining my Aura faster than I could drain hers. 'I'll lose out if it's a straight match of strength…let's see if this works…'

Activating Burst and Chronometry in conjunction, I had the edge on Nora when it came to speed and reaction time, but still lost out when it came to raw power. Throwing my right longsword, I watched the blade streak towards Nora, before being diverted with a swing of Magnhild and landing behind her. Getting some distance, I pulled out Corona and unloaded shots of Fire Dust at the oncoming hammer-wielder. Only a few landed before Nora grinned and shifted Magnhild back to launcher form. Without both halves of Mirror's Edge, I lost my main source of cover against Nora's explosives, and had to zig-zag towards her as she fired more grenades. Suffering a couple more shots from Corona as I closed in, Nora remained smiling as she charged forward as well, knowing she currently had me both up-close and at range.

'Almost there…almost…_now_!' As I neared Nora's range, she twirled Magnhild around to shift into hammer form, but flinched as I threw my other longsword towards her. Very familiar with Mirror's Edge and its properties, she knew that both halves of my weapon were approaching one another from her front and back. Meanwhile, I dove to the side and pulled out Luna, and with the Aura that I'd been storing in the knife over the match, I sliced outward to let loose a crescent of silver Aura at Nora's side.

"THAT'S THE SPIRIT, KOUZAI!" Stomping her feet, Nora twisted around and knocked both my longswords away in a full rotation, before turning back to the incoming Aura wave. Before my very eyes, Nora flared her own Aura to take the Aura slash, before she leapt forward with Magnhild beneath her feet. "LIKE YOU SAID-"

BOOM

The red-haired bomber accelerated forward in the air, and I could only brace myself with Luna and Corona held defensively as Magnhild slammed into my guard. Flying back, I leaned low to the ground and dug Luna in the arena floor, firing a few shots of Corona behind me until I stopped by the arena's edge, only to hear the buzzer sound afterwards.

"Winner by Aura level, Nora Valkyrie." I climbed to my feet as the lights turned back on and Goodwitch returned to the stage. Skipping over to me and holding a reformed Mirror's Edge like a toothpick was one Nora Valkyrie, as I reached out with one hand.

"-Always keep at least one grenade for techniques and emergencies," I replied, reclaiming Mirror's Edge and gently knocking the blade against Magnhild. "One of these days, I'm going to get that third win off you, and then it'll be official that I _can_ beat you."

"Oh, but Kouzai, if you keep finding weaknesses in my fighting style to fix, I'm gonna end up not having any." Nora giggled, before straightening as Goodwitch cleared her throat.

"Ms. Valkyrie. Your technique was very polished, and you clearly possessed a strong strategic sense of how to best take advantage of your opponent's weaknesses, be it by forcing them into range or into melee."

"Ehehe, Kouzai drilled a bunch of us into doing that during a fight," Nora replied bashfully, and I was the recipient of a very cool emerald-eyed gaze.

"Is that so? Clearly, Mr. Higure seems to have much experience in critiquing his friends and opponents. However, further improvement is always possible, and your battlefield awareness should be first on the list, lest you take anymore Aura-concentrated techniques or errant Dust projectiles to your own Aura." Goodwitch remained unfazed as Nora saluted like one would to a superior officer, before the professor turned to me. "As for you Mr. Higure, your technique remains solid and practical, your use of various weaponry is flexible as always, and your use of your semblance is supplementary to your combat abilities. When all are used in conjunction, however, your Aura expenditure increases drastically and leaves you vulnerable during prolonged fights. Furthermore, I cannot help but notice that you are still without your full arsenal, a notion that appears rather foolish given your knowledge of your opponent. Would you care to explain your reasoning this time?"

"Well, as you might know, Hard-Light Dust, while very powerful in the durability of its constructs, is also _very_ expensive as well. Until I've further refined the ability to adjust the output of Dust, I would prefer to refrain from bankrupting myself every other fight or so." I kept my eyes focused on Goodwitch despite the sweat running down the back of my neck. 'Plus, I _really_ don't need Ozpin or Ironwood taking a closer look at Mortem and finding out _exactly_ where it came from!'

"Hmm, your logic is sound, and with a well-placed eye on the financial trends of Dust. Be that as it may, the purpose of sparring class is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a student's combat abilities, and without using all the tools at one's disposal, calculating an accurate reading becomes challenging. Throughout this week, I have noticed that your sparring performances remain strangely geared towards seemingly _aiding_ your opponents in assessing their own weaknesses before attempting to claim victory for yourself. In the field, however, criminals and the Grimm will not appreciate such mercies, and certainly may not give you time to ascertain such weaknesses. I suggest that you begin taking your spars seriously, before I adjust your sparring schedule to force serious performances out of you." Goodwitch's eyes almost seemed to glow green, and I almost considered the possibility of her having Maiden powers. "Now, please return to your seat, and I will give my announcements to the class."

Making my way back up into the stands, I sat down as Goodwitch resumed speaking. "As you all know, today's session marks the end of your first week of classes. As done by the professors of your other classes, the following list ranking each student's performance in this class will now be displayed." The rankings appeared on the screen, and everyone leaned forward to evaluate the standings. Absolutely no one was surprised that Pyrrha took the top spot, but I nearly spit out the water I was drinking at seeing Jaune's name right below hers in second.

'Man, that's a disconnect seeing that in comparison with the show. Then again, with his rate of improvement, four years with proper tutelage would've done wonders for him.' Closing out the top three was Yang, with the rest of RWBY and JNPR following in order of Nora, Weiss, Blake, Ren and Ruby. Ilia was actually in ninth place, having only one loss in a close match with Ruby. Finishing in tenth was Cardin, as save for an embarrassingly fast loss to Blake, the leader of CRDL had registered quick victories by way of pounding the Executioner into unprepared faces. Meanwhile, I was in eleventh, after a series of middling performances due to testing out various combinations of weapons against my opponents. 'My analysis of unknown fighting styles has gotten better for sure, but I don't think that Goodwitch exactly appreciates that.'

"Now please keep in mind, these rankings are not infallible with regards to one's educational and combat performance, and will certainly change as the semester and school year progresses. Nonetheless, we at Beacon feel that knowing our current evaluation of your abilities may be motivating in terms of improvement. If there are no further questions, I wish you all a pleasant first weekend."

As we all filed out of the arena, I was met with frustrated looks by all of JNPR. "Uhh, everyone alright? Are any of you upset with how you placed in the rankings?" They shouldn't have been, considering that JNPR was the highest first-year team when it came to both combat performance and academics at the moment.

"Our annoyance is not in regards to _our_ placement in the rankings, but rather with yours," Ren supplied, looking the least disgruntled among them. "They feel that your standing is not indicative with your true combat ability, and that Professor Goodwitch has perhaps overlooked the extent of your abilities."

"Not perhaps, Ren, _definitely_," Nora growled. "After that match we just had, there's _no way_ you should be below _Cardin_, or even Ilia! No offense, Ilia."

"None taken," came my partner's voice from behind me, and I turned to see my team approaching, with Ilia's look as one of ambivalence and the twins looking simultaneously annoyed and crestfallen. "I've just had the good fortune of getting the right opponents so far, but I do think that you'd be able to beat Cardin or I in a fight if it came to it."

I was taken aback. "Guys, it's no big deal. Goodwitch said that our rankings go off our win rate and how close the matches are, and all of my matches have been more drawn-out affairs. Besides, I'm not exactly aiming to be valedictorian of the class, what with that title probably going to Pyrrha."

"That, that's…undetermined…" Pyrrha managed bashfully, but everyone knew it was likely a forgone conclusion. With Weiss as her academic rival and Jaune as her combat rival, neither had the other's skill sufficient enough to challenge Pyrrha for the overall top spot. "You're truly indifferent as to your ranking?"

"I came here to learn, and to help out my friends. Nothing more, nothing less," I replied. "Things like top scores only matter to me insofar as they might relate to skills and knowledge out in the field. And things like combat rankings only perceive a fraction of one's overall abilities, so I don't give much weight to them." That last comment seemed to lift the twins' spirits, given their placements in the twenties.

"Such wisdom our team leader has. Oh Kouzai, what a wise teacher you are," Melanie gasped dramatically, dodging a headsmack from me. "But seriously, now that classes are done for the week, it's time to focus on the important things. Namely, what we're doing this weekend."

"Well, given the work that we have received from our professors, I think that-"

"IT'S TIME TO PARTY!" Nora zipped towards my team, and Miltia and I dove out of the way to avoid crushing arms. Strangely, Melanie was enthusiastically returning Nora's grabbiness, and both of them were giving one another equally mischievous grins.

"Umm, Kouzai, what exactly are they planning?" Jaune asked cautiously, eyeing Ren and I as Ren facepalmed while I sighed.

"Something tells me that with your schedule, you haven't been to the shadier part of Vale much."

"Uhhh, no?"

"Figures. I'd prepare then…"

… … …

It was unbelievable. Astronomically improbable. Frankly inconceivable.

"The Invincible Girl _does_ have a weakness! And it's booze!" Nora roared, downing another shot as Pyrrha groaned across from her. Next to Pyrrha, Jaune was casually on his fifth drink of the night, while Ren sat opposite him and contentedly sipped at his first.

"While we _will_ be coming back to our ruthless exploitation of Pyrrha's inability to hold her drink, I'd like to address the other half of this equation," I stated, eyeing Jaune and the glasses surrounding him. "_How_ are you still tanking through those? I know for a fact that those are mixed pretty strongly, considering that it was employee proto-I mean, considering that I know from experience."

"My father said that a man should be able to hold their liquor, and was quite adamant on making sure all his children would be able to protect themselves against the horrors of drunkenness." Jaune gazed off for a moment, before shuddering and looking away. "Just…make sure that I won't have to take any form of transportation for a while…"

"Duly noted." I took a moment to gaze around the familiar interior of Junior's Club, watching various proceedings taking place.

After dressing in slightly, _slightly_ more casual clothing, the entourage of JNPR and KMMI made our way to Vale and to Junior's club. Upon our arrival, however, we found that we weren't the only ones who had decided to frequent the establishment, as seated at another table were Coco and Velvet. In my haste to bring JNPR and my team to another table, I neglected to pay attention to who was ordering the drinks. After our orders arrived, however, I turned to a seemingly oblivious Melanie and intensely-focused Nora, who was attempting to gauge Pyrrha's reaction to alcohol.

"At this rate, we're gonna need to ask Junior to lend us a few extra rooms for the night," I grumbled to Miltia and Melanie.

"Speaking of which…" I turned in the direction of the voice, my eyes landing on Hei Xiong himself. His gaze slipped past mine and focused on the twins, before he reached out and wrapped them in a hug.

"J-Junior! You're embarrassing us!" Melanie whined, while Miltia patted the man on the back. After a few moments, Junior seemed to remember that he was inside his own establishment, and that he was a feared information dealer, straightening up with a grunt.

"We can talk about rooms later, when you two are telling me about how Beacon's going. For now though, I need to speak with Kouzai." All the heads at our table swung to me as the twins sighed, either out of relief or out of resignation to my fate.

"Well, might as well grab the next round while I'm up there." After memorizing the list of drinks, I followed Junior towards the backroom and into his office, taking the seat that I'd been in various times before while discussing the twins or more illicit matters of business. "Soo…I take it we're having that talk you mentioned a while back?"

Taking his seat behind the desk, Junior put his palms flat against the wood and sighed. "Look. I respect privacy, to a certain degree. You have to, as an information dealer. So when you asked about Roman's dealings in Vale, I found it weird, but so long as you didn't make a move against him, one that would lead back to us, I thought everything would be fine. Then, the same day that Roman mysteriously left Vale, you took off like it was going out of style, and didn't return until days later, torn to shit. I had questions, but there didn't seem to be any immediate blowback on me or mine, which would be Roman's M.O. in the event of an attack. So I let it go, filed it under a bizarre blip that accompanies most Huntsmen or operatives in your line of work.

But now? Things have changed, and most of them in the worst ways possible. I'm going to lay my cards out on the table, and afterwards you're going to as well. First is that Roman's still around, and even requested some of my men weeks ago for a Dust heist that went sideways. It's rare that one of Roman's plans falls through, but no one's perfect. The problem is that none of my men came back after, and any contacts I have within the prison system haven't seen them either, meaning that they're more than likely six feet under.

Next is the fact that Dust heists are _still_ happening across Vale, and the handiwork points to Roman as well. I could blow off his need for Dust as some sort of grand get-rich-kind-of-quick scheme, but even he wouldn't risk this much heat being brought down on him. The bigger issue though, is that he hasn't asked for men since, which means that either he's still working with my men, or that he's found a new crew. Roman having a bigger crew isn't such a big cause for alarm by itself though. It's what comes after.

Did you know that Adam Taurus has been spotted in Vale? Or that Marcus Black has recently been found dead after his house burned down? What am I saying, of course you do. You somehow know things that you really have no business knowing, despite you yourself requesting information on Taurus _and_ Roman. So now two of your four persons of interest have appeared in Vale around the same time as one another, with the third having mysteriously turned up dead. What are the chances that it has something to do with this four person, this _Cinder Fall_?"

I sat there, shell-shocked. Gobsmacked. Trying to bluff my way out was a futile effort, given that my face blankly displayed me being flabbergasted. Plain and simple, Junior was _far more_ cunning than I gave him credit for. 'Or did I put him on the trail, by asking about these people? Would he have discovered any of this if I hadn't clued him in? It doesn't matter at this point, does it…' If he wanted cards on the table though, I had a full deck to offer.

"Junior. You did me the courtesy of speaking plainly, so I give you the respect of the same." I took a deep breath, knowing that whatever I gave the man would irrevocably shift _something_ in the timeline, but the die was already cast. "You guessed right. I sought information on Taurus, Roman and Black because I believed that they might potentially be recruited by Cinder Fall. At this point, two of them _are_ working with her, and Marcus Black is dead."

Junior shifted, a question clearly on his lips, but I pressed onward. "Understand that what this group has planned will lead to death, destruction and the ruin of Vale. An alliance between Roman Torchwick, the White Fang and someone with the power and gravity to command them both is apocalyptic for anyone that enjoys living."

"Enough!" Junior slammed a shaky fist down on the desk, the other grasping his face as his brow was fiercely furrowed. Trembling, he reached out for a bottle on his desk, pouring a generous portion into a glass by its side before desperately downing the liquid. "Kouzai, this…what you're saying, this could shake Vale and Remnant to the core. How sure are you of this?"

I looked Junior dead in the eye. "I interfered in and stopped one of their grand plans, and nearly died in the attempt. Trust when I say that I _have_ staked my life on it."

Junior drew a shaky breath. "So that day…of course. It makes sense…Kouzai, you should know, I don't think you _stopped_ whatever plan they had. Maybe you delayed it, but whatever's going on, _something_ is happening in Vale, and part of that something is this group trying to find _you_."

Air was scarce, and my vision swam as everything felt cold. "_What_?"

"Roman was in here the other day, asking for information…he was asking about the Specter, whatever I had on him. Whatever you did, was enough to warrant them wanting to take you of the equation before they execute their next plan." Junior's hand dipped below his desk, and I knew he was grasping his Batzooka out of sheer habit. "I had to make a choice, between giving you up to them, or lying and potentially endangering my whole operation, and the Miss' by extension."

"_Shit_…Junior, I'm sorry…I never meant to put you or the Lil Miss in that position. This is something I wanted to handle on-"

"On your own?" Junior's tone dripped acid, and I winced. "Kouzai, you haven't been working 'on your own' since you became affiliated with Lil Miss. Sure, we can disavow you and claim you went rogue, but if your services really do get tracked back to Lil Miss or I, how believable is it that two of Remnant's biggest information dealers really had _no idea_ of what you were planning? Not only that, your involvement with these people doesn't _just_ endanger Lil Miss or me…think of your friends. Think of Melanie, or Miltia."

'…_Grimmshit_…Cinder doesn't even need to know the Specter is Kouzai Higure…all she needs is that he works for Lil Miss Malachite, and the twins are in the firing line…' I clenched my fist, feeling my fingernails straining against my Aura. "What if there's another operative who starts dressing like the Specter in Mistral, to throw them off the scent? Or what if I stop dressing as the Specter and stop taking missions?"

Junior laughed mirthlessly. "You think I haven't thought of that already? If you had come to the Lil Miss or I about any of this sooner, we _might_ have had time to plan for some of this. But now that people, powerful people, are _actively_ searching for you, throwing out a decoy will only have them hunt that lead down and track it back to its source, which is _us_. And do you really think you can sit back and this Cinder go ahead with her new plan?" I wordlessly shook my head, and Junior sagged a little in his chair. "I didn't think so. All we can do now is try and wage a shadow war on the back foot, and hope, _pray_, _beseech_ the gods themselves that neither your identity as the Specter nor its affiliation with the Spiders is discovered."

I looked up from my shoes, scarcely believing what I heard. "Wage a-Junior, are you _actually_ thinking about fighting these people?"

"I've hardly got a choice now, do I? Not after you've as good as checked our participation in this war." Junior gazed at me now with a glare full of fire. "Don't think I'm so callous as to abandon a kingdom of innocents in jeopardy. Even those that toe the line or stand firmly on the other side have principles, and _terrorism_ and _genocide_ aren't on that list."

Filling his glass again, Junior downed the alcohol again. "Get back out to the twins and your friends. Enjoy the night, for what it's worth. Once everyone's down for the night, you and I are doing some planning together, so don't expect that you'll be getting _any_ shut-eye."

I nodded, still rather at a loss for words, and made my way to the door. Turning back for a moment, I uttered the only thought that I had going through my head.

"For what it's worth, I _am_ sorry about what I've brought upon you, Lil Miss, your men, the twins…I am sorry." I shut the door before I could hear his response, and made my way back to the group. By this point, Coco and Velvet had joined our table, and the nine of them looked to be a relatively merry group. Well, except for Pyrrha being near-comatose, and the whole concept of _Velvet_ being at a club. Plastering a smile on my face, I made my way back to the table. "Well well well, who do we have here? And here I thought that wearing sunglasses at night was the mark of someone suspicious. Guess I was right."

Coco snorted, before lowering her shades to glance at mine. "I'm sure it takes shady one to know one. And I'm _sure_ that speaks well to all the staff here." A flourish of her hand gestured out at all of Junior's black suit, red tie and sunglasses-wearing employees. "Now, what kept you in the back for so long? You and Junior trying to debate who makes the best Strawberry Sunrise or something?"

'That's an excellent question, and one that I haven't thought of yet!' I rubbed the back of my neck in fake embarrassment, willing myself to think of an answer on the fly. "I…was actually talking to him about…the possibility of using his club for an event coming up…"

"OOH!" Nora jumped up from her seat. "YOU MEAN YOUR BIRTHDAY?!"

Eyes swiveled over to me, and supplied with a verifiable, if inconvenient lie, I seized it like a lifeline. "…Yup, definitely that. It's coming up in a few weeks, and I'm _so_ glad that you remembered my birthday."

"Well, duh. What kind of friend would I be if I nearly forgot your birthday…for the fifth time in a row? Oh look, more booze!" Nora dashed off into the crowds, only marginally impeded from the various drinks she'd already had. Ren maintained a watchful eye over that area of the club, content to let Nora's aura of terror and raw chaos take care of any mundane issues.

"Anyways," I shifted the subject, eager to draw attention away from my possible birthday, and pivoted over to the second-years at the table. "Coco, would you care to explain exactly how you managed to rope Velvet into coming to Junior's club? I can't imagine that it's a particularly joyful experience for her."

"Re-lax, Velvs is loving every second of this." Coco threw an arm around Velvet's shoulders, seemingly oblivious to the despairing look on her teammate's face. "Team CFVY need's a girls night out every once in a while, amiright?...Also, the rest of these spoilsports decided I needed a tagalong when going out to prevent me from having too much fun or something." Coco drew air quotes around the last part of her statement.

"Coco, we wanted to prevent you from becoming so intoxicated that you almost deploy Gianduja on a clothing store for being closed, _again_." Velvet's emphasis on the last word had me glancing at the rest of my team, thankful that either the White Fang or Junior had taught them the value of being discreet. JNPR however, and Nora in particular, looked to be about three seconds from declaring Coco as her mentor, much to mine and Ren's mutual horror. "Given that Yatsuhashi doesn't frequent such a setting, I'm very sensitive to prolonged exposure to such levels of noise, and Fox is _very_ sensitive to such things, we pretty much have a rotation system going every time Coco wants to spend a night out."

I nodded along sagely. "I can relate. If it wasn't for the fact that Melanie and Miltia already work and almost live her, I'd have my hands full every time they were off-shift." I proceeded to duck under the two swipes the blushing and tipsy twins sent my way.

"That being said, I do believe that our dear leader might have forgotten that we're all supposed to be heading to a movie after this," Velvet added meaningfully, and we all turned to follow her eyes as Fox and Yatsuhashi approached. Yatsuhashi appeared unbothered by the party atmosphere surrounding him. Fox, on the other hand, had what looked to be industrial headphones tight against his ears, yet still rubbing his temples and wincing in pain.

"Hello again, Ren, Nora and Kouzai. We lacked the proper time during the school week, but I wished to give my sincerest thanks to you for fighting on my village's behalf four years ago. I was but a young and brash Sanctum student, and had I rushed out to fight those bandits blindly, I might have lost my life and cost my family immeasurable grief. Although we may not have interacted much since then, please know that you have my aid whenever you so wish it, and that of my team if they deem fit." The rest of his team nodded in response, before Yatsuhashi cocked his head for a moment as if listening to something. "Very well Fox, I won't keep us much longer then. Coco, Velvet, we should be on our way."

"But I've still gotta talk shop with my new giant weapon buddy!" Coco whined, extending an arm out to Nora, who raised her drink in response.

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll all be doing this again soon enough. That way, you and Ko-ko can talk shop about giving him some fashion tips on breaking out a few more colors in his outfit!"

"Ko…ko?" The question was a whisper, before Coco sagged dramatically against the wall that was Yatsuhashi. "What am I going to do, Yatsu? He's even stealing my _name_! At this rate, I'll be replaced by the younger model before the semester's out!"

"Forget that, let's find out why Nora was holding back on this nickname for so long!" Melanie howled in laughter, and the rest of the group save Fox and I joined her.

"Great, and Pand-_Nora_'s box of nicknames has been opened," I groaned, ignoring JNPR and my team in favor of focusing on Velvet, who was making a valiant attempt at not giggling.

"I'm sure Coco will forget about most of this come the morning," Velvet tried reassuringly. "Though, if our teams will be spending more time together, I suppose there are some tips that I could give you on Hard-Light Dust for your gauntlet."

'A non-Ozpin-affiliated way to improve Mortem?' I perked up and grinned. "Thanks a bunch, Velvet. I'll take whatever help you're willing to give."

"My pleasure," Velvet replied, before wincing at a particularly loud bass drop. "Alright, we should be leaving then. Take care everyone!"

"Hey wait a minute!" Melanie stood up from her seat, pointing a finger over at Fox. "This one's been silent the whole time! What, not even a word to us?"

"_Maybe I just wanted to surprise the little first-years._" Nearly everyone in JNPR and KMMI flinched at the voice in their heads. "_Clearly, it seems to have worked._"

I glanced over to the blind second-year, and saw the crinkling of his eyes before rolling my own. "Hilarious. Does every team need at least one jokester?" Raising my glass, I waved as CFVY made their way out of the building before turning back to a stunned Melanie. "Cat got your tongue? Or should it be fox in this case?"

"Th-That, him, how…" Melanie spluttered as her face sported a blush at being countered. "Why didn't he do that before?"

"Likely because something like telepathy tends to be a double-edged sword. Even if he's blocking out the physical noise of this crowd, who's to say that he's not hearing the _mental_ noise they're all making when he uses his semblance?" It was a thought that I'd considered before, and judging by the paling faces my friends had, they were imagining it too. "No wonder why he doesn't come out to these types of places. Being blind, nearly deaf with those headphones and without his semblance, he'd be literally stumbling around in the dark if he didn't have Aura vision to guide him."

"It was nice of Yatsuhashi to accompany him while waiting for Coco and Velvet," Miltia commented, before freezing as eyes swung from her twin to her. "What? He just seems nice and polite, which is a far cry from the kinds of people Mel and I have dealt with working here."

"You better believe we're coming back to _that_," Nora snickered, "But for now, we're getting back to the celebrations! Miss, can I get a hundred shots of tequila?"

"NORA!"

… … …

"She's insane…" Ilia mumbled, stumbling as we walked down the apartment building hallway, keeping a terrified eye on the skipping redhead up ahead.

"Well, you could've gleaned that from your first fight with her, or initiation, or really any time you've spent with her," I commented, slightly supporting her weight as we neared my apartment. "But really, that's just the tip of the iceberg, and trust me when I say that it only escalates over time.

Opening the door, I walked in and was again thankful that I'd kept the space clean and free of any interdimensional time-traveling planning, before turning back to the doorway as Jaune walked inside, gently carrying a sleeping Pyrrha. "You can use the bedroom for you and Pyrrha. Just make sure that you don't subject her to the sounds of you two going at it. Melanie, Miltia, you all right if Nora and Ren stay at your place tonight?"

"So long as they don't break my bed, sure." The three of us ignored JNPR's insistent refusals of any 'indecency' or 'sexy times' happening in our beds, as I lead Ilia over to the couch.

"I paid aggressively medium money to make sure this couch was comfortable, so it should be fine for the night," I joked, before noticing the confused looks at the lack of a sleeping area for myself. "I've gotta head back down to the club once everyone's settled in and work the graveyard shift, as per Junior's orders. After all, I can't just sit back and rest on my Beacon stipend and the investment's off Ren's money, right?"

Grey-blue eyes narrowed from the couch. "Are you sure that you're not pushing yourself too hard? It's only the first week, after all."

All assembled shared a laugh at my expense. "I _always_ push myself too hard. This…this is expected."

Bidding my team and JNPR farewell for the night, I returned back to the club area and found Junior behind the counter. Sliding onto a seat, I put on my serious face. "Alrighty Junior, lemme get one more double, and we'll get to work."

"Sheesh, have I ever told you it's disconcerting how effortlessly you're able to change expressions like that?" Junior slid the glass over to me, before glancing at the bottle he'd poured the alcohol from. "Or how much you're capable of drinking when you want to?"

"Let's just say I'm drinking to make up for lost time." I downed the glass, before smiling. "And I'm pretty sure I get told I'm 'disconcerting' or something similar on the daily."

"Doesn't make it any less true," Junior grunted, before motioning for me to follow towards the backroom. "Now, let's figure out a way to keep Vale in one piece."

… … …

"Ugh…it's been a while since I've felt this awful…" I leaned slightly against the counter, channeling Aura to alleviate the pounding headache drawing its strength from a hangover and lack of sleep. 'Not that I'm complaining, but I've been taking great care of my body lately…apparently _too_ well, considering that just one night without sleep along with a dozen drinks is taking a toll on me…'

It was assuredly morning, judging by the bright sunlight streaming in from the windows. The majority of the night had been spent with Junior going over names, maps, objectives and plans, with me walking the line between being impressed at Junior's breadth of information, and exceedingly cautious at not giving away secrets I didn't need to, like Salem, Ozpin or the Maidens. Eventually though, even Junior conceded that we'd planned enough for the night, and sent me out to the counter to sell the story that I'd been bartending, despite my barely-legal age. I'd spent the last few hours keeping an eye on the few patrons that remained, but thankfully no one had required the under-the-table services that Junior offered during that time. Even more thankfully, no one from JNPR or KMMI had come to visit me, or potentially verify that I'd been behind the counter.

'At least they all still have the typical teenage weakness of sleeping in on weekends…' I yawned, trying to rub some of the tiredness out of my eyes, but froze as I heard soft footsteps approach. Bringing my hands down to where I'd placed Luna and Corona, I turned to view the newcomer, and froze.

"Hi, I'm kind of in a hurry and looking for Junior, so-hang on, aren't you one of my students?"

Sleep-beleaguered and hungover, I must've looked like either a mess, or like Qrow normally. The two weren't mutually exclusive.

"Umm…hey Professor Autumn…"

… … …

… … …

"You know, there's still time for you to come along. I'm sure that Yang would be happy to see you."

"The sentiment is nice Tai, but there's little chance of me openly stepping foot back on Beacon."

Taiyang brought another log over to the firewood pile, placing it down with a soft thump before straightening and facing Raven with an exasperated look. "Rae, you likely would've portaled in and spied on Yang as a raven anyways, if you haven't already done that. You showing up at Beacon doesn't have to be an automatic declaration of your undying loyalty to Oz, you know."

"I would not have…" Raven scoffed, despite the slight tinge to her cheek. "And with Salem's pawns afoot, who knows how our actions are being judged now. For all you know, my appearing to protect the Fall Maiden has been interpreted as the tribe declaring war against Salem."

Taiyang frowned, searching Raven's face. "Do you regret coming to protect her?"

Raven looked away, arms crossed. "No…it had to be done. Salem having the Fall Maiden would've meant the fall of Beacon and Vale, and with Yang there…I am against Salem, but that doesn't mean I'm _with_ Ozpin."

Taiyang sighed, running his hair through his short locks. "Good enough, I guess. Still, if Beacon's out of the question, maybe just visit Vale instead? You've still got a few more weeks before I'm going."

"I…perhaps. I'll need to check in with the tribe, and make sure that the fools won't run the business into the ground while I'm gone. And gods knows Vernal is getting more determined to have her rematch with Kouzai."

Taiyang laughed. "Yeah, that's definitely something that I'll be checking up on while I'm at Beacon. Qrow tells me that this kid is definitely looking out for my girls, but judging from the calls and letters so far, they certainly don't seem to think so. Yang being annoyed and even pissed at someone is par for the course, but if even Ruby was annoyed…" Knuckles harder than steel slammed together.

"I might need to have a word with him."

**A/N: A little lighter on the fluff, and a little more development this time. Rest assured that I haven't forgotten details of previous chapters. Kouzai's actions do have consequences, as evidenced by him having to bring Junior slightly into the fold. What follows will definitely have ramifications for the plot going forward, and I couldn't be more excited and frustrated for that! Hope you all enjoyed that, and I'll see you next week.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 03/02/2020**


	28. Chapter 25: In Numbers

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Aaaaand we're in March. I'm nearly to Spring Break, and it's going to be wonderful…until I come back and am buried in papers, tests, applications and just general work. Regardless though, I'm glad to be getting this out to you all. Also, I'm trying something a little different by putting the review responses near the bottom. Let me know what you think.**

Chapter 25: In Numbers

Chapter Date: 03/02/2020

Hazel eyes, narrowed and inquisitive, attempted to peer past my sunglasses as I desperately tried to push any all-nighter, hangover-caused weariness down.

"Hey Professor." I tried addressing the Fall Maiden again. "What brings you to a club at…eight in the morning?"

Amber was silent for a moment, still searching my face for something, before her expression cleared and she snapped her fingers. "Got it! You're Kouzai, right? It took me a minute to place, since Beacon has _a lot_ of students, but there are only a handful with shades as part of their combat uniform. Huh…did you get that from working here?" I followed her gaze as she looked around the club at the handful of Junior's men cleaning up the club, adorned in dark suits and sunglasses.

"Oh, no, gods no," I chuckled. "I started wearing these as a way of sort of limiting my Semblance, let me interact normally so to speak. Though I'm sure you already know about my Semblance."

Amber frowned in confusion, scratching her cheek and unintentionally drawing my attention to her beauty mark. "I…apologize. I'm afraid I don't remember your Semblance, exactly. There's a lot of profiles to read through during the sparring classes."

'Well, at least that answers if the professors have things like Aura and Semblance on file…' I smiled what I hoped was disarmingly. "That's alright, you're a first-year professor after all…though, you don't seem like you're very comfortable being a professor just yet."

Amber's head slumped forward, coming to rest on the palm of her hand. "Ughh…is it that obvious that students are able to tell? I told Oz that-nevermind. I uhh, I've been doing mostly solo work on the frontier for a while now, so-"

"So to come back to bustling, ordered civilization and having others rely on you is a bit of a jarring experience?" Amber flinched, then looked at me as I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm much of the same, to be honest. I didn't attend a combat school like most other students, and went the way of building my skills through sheer experience in the field."

"SEE! That's exactly what I think that other students should be doing as well!" Amber grinned jubilantly, before realizing that she'd shot up from her seat and cleared her throat, looking away bashfully. "I'm an advocate of having applicants accumulate more _real_ experience, instead of practiced simulations and spars. However, Ozpin, Glynda and the other professors think that the bookwork is just as important."

"Well, I think that the physical aspect of a Huntsmen's training can be handled before they get to an academy. The real training for most tends to be of the mind, and for the most part that's something that's easier learned before getting into the field." I slid a drink over to Amber, who raised her eyebrows. "It's a Strawberry Sunrise. I have it on good authority that they're pretty popular with the ladies, and you looked like you were in need of a de-stresser."

"Hmm…not bad…don't think you're exactly off the hook for why you're working a nightclub though, and for Junior of all people." Amber sipped absentmindedly at her drink, before we both turned to see Junior striding towards the counter from the back. "Just the man I was looking for. Junior, why exactly are you hiring first-year students as bartenders?"

"Cause he makes fantastic drinks, and he came to the interview already wearing shades," Junior snarked, walking behind the counter and pouring himself a drink. "Now, I hope that wasn't the information that you came here for, assuming that you didn't come to my club at _eight in the morning_ for a drink."

"You know me-damn, this _is_ good-so well, Junior." Amber put her drink down and looked Junior in the eye, her face becoming deadly serious. "I _am_ here for information, and can pay lien by the fistful for it. What I want to know is, do you know where Roman Torchwick and a woman named Cinder are located?"

My eyes widened behind my shades, and beneath the counter one of Junior's hands stiffened. His other hand though came to stroke his chin in thought. "I can try to put some feelers out for Roman, but I can't say I have any idea on who or where this Cinder would be? You happen to have a photo or description?"

If Amber could tell that we were both lying through our teeth, she didn't show it. "Oh, I've got a description for you alright. Clue number one is that she's missing-" A ring interrupted her statement, and Amber yanked her scroll out, saw the ID, and answered it with a snarled, "What?"

"Miss Autumn, I have become aware that you are currently off Beacon's grounds." Ozpin's voice was clear from across the counter, and I willed my ears to catch every word. "I implore you to immediately conclude whatever business you may have in Vale and return-"

"I'm _not_ going back just yet, Ozpin," Amber hissed, before glancing around the club in search of something. "If you're so worried, just have my _protector_ watch over me, like he always does."

"Amber, we both know that he is not infallible." Ozpin seemed to have caught on to Amber omitting Qrow's name. "In any event, I would not consider him alone sufficient in such circumstances, and am not willing to risk any harm coming to you."

Amber bit her lip and clenched her robotic fist, facing back forward before her eyes landed on me. With a spark of recognition, they widened and she softly gasped. "Oz, what if I was with a student, the one Qrow told me about?"

The other end was silent for a moment. "…I am unsure as to how you would have encountered Mr. Higure, but even so, his inclusion does not make your excursion any more justified, and I will not jeopardize a student's safety for unexplained travel."

'…Ah, fuck me, I'm really about to do it, aren't I?' With a look towards Amber's prosthetic and downcast expression, my mouth was moving. "If it helps, my teammates and Team JNPR are with me in Vale as well."

I swear the other flecks of color in Amber's hazel eyes brightened. "How about that Oz? Teams JNPR _and_ KMMI. That _has_ to be enough!"

"…Very well. So long as _both_ teams are present with you throughout your time in Vale, I will allow this. But do not make such behavior a habit, Miss Autumn." Ozpin ended the call, but Amber barely seemed to notice as she threw her arms forward and hugged me across the counter.

"Oh, thank you, thank you so much!" From the angling of my head, I saw Junior looking at us, his expression a mixture of confusion, annoyance, amusement and caution. More importantly, though…

"Miss Autumn…robot…arm…" I gasped, the unyielding steel limb crushing my spine for a second longer before the pressure ceased.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm…not quite used to this yet." Amber flexed her robotic fingers in demonstration, before looking at me quizzically. "You know, you didn't have to offer to stick with me. I can't imagine that anyone would voluntarily give up part of their weekend to spend _more_ time with their professor."

I waved my hand flippantly. "Eh, when it's a sparring professor, I think that's understandable. And to be honest, I'm kind of hoping that with a professor around, there might _finally_ be someone else capable of reining Nora in. Speaking of, if we're going to be spending the day with you, I suppose I should get the rest of them. If you'll excuse me for few minutes." I started making my way towards the apartment building, noticing as Junior slid another Strawberry Sunrise over to Amber and followed me.

"…I'm generally not one for believing in luck or chance, but that's scary timing for her to be asking those questions right after our night of planning." Junior stared intensely at me. "You have anything to do with her being here?"

"I didn't call her here this morning, if that's what you're asking."

"It's not. I heard a bit of her call with Ozpin, and saw her arm. Did you have anything to do with _that_?"

I hesitated. I'd told Junior some of the finer points about the alliance between Torchwick, the Fang and Cinder, but I kept out anything to do with magic. "…Let's just say Amber has a vested interest in tearing Cinder's throat out, Cinder has a vested interest in doing the same to Amber, and Ozpin and I have a vested interest in keeping Amber alive."

Junior groaned, rubbing his eyes in both weariness and frustration. "Seriously, Kouzai, how do you end up in these sorts of situations? It has to be a Semblance, because not even _intentionally_ trying to find trouble would create this much of a mess."

'Less of a Semblance, more of a goddess. And television.' I cleared my throat as we reached my apartment floor. "Sooo…how should we split-"

"I'm waking the JNPR kids, you get your own team."

"Damnit…"

… … …

"SHOPPING TRIP! With the professor."

"Nora please, my shoulders…"

"Well, this seems familiar," I chuckled along with Ilia and Jaune. Miltia, Melanie and Pyrrha appeared to be nursing some monstrous hangovers. Amber, as expected, looked entirely bewildered by what was happening.

"I've never been so upset at how loud others can be…" Pyrrha moaned softly, rubbing her temples as Jaune amplified her Aura.

"Mel…I think we've been out of the game for too long…" Miltia took a sip of her coffee and sighed as the heat suffused her cheeks.

"So what you're saying is, we need to start drinking everyday during classes, right?" Melanie tottered slightly, drawing Amber out of her shocked stupor.

"I can't speak for Port's class really, but if you show up sauced to Oobleck's, taking any sort of notes becomes a hellish endeavor," Amber commented. "And that's not even getting to Glyn-I mean, Professor Goodwitch's class. If she ever finds out that you were drinking before or during _her_ class, you'd wish you were dead."

"Ugh…duly noted, prof…"

"ALRIGHT! Since Kouzai did his normal thing of flirting with the ladies-"

"OI!"

"-And snagging the best professor, we need to take this opportunity to get _all_ the tips and stuff!" Nora leaned down gleefully from her position on Ren's shoulders, getting uncomfortably close to Amber's face before Amber firmly placed her robotic hand in front. "AH! COLD!"

"Is she…always like this?"

"_YES_." Our resounding and simultaneous response, even from Nora herself, caused her to look taken aback before the Fall Maiden began doubling over in laughter.

"Ha ha…I'm sorry, it's just…you all look so resigned." Straightening, Amber looked skyward with a smile on her face. "So, shopping trip huh? I suppose that means that clothes are in order, and likely Dust and books as well. Maybe weapon parts as well if we happen to have the time."

"And with three guys and now six girls, that means that our shopping is evened out to one guy's arm for each of us," Melanie damn near purred in satisfaction as Jaune and I, and especially Ren, paled at our teammates' eager looks.

"Hey, come on guys…what if we wanna buy some stuff as well?" I tried weakly, before heads swiveled in my direction.

"Translation, he wants us to pick outfits for him." Miltia smirked.

"Wha-no no no, I take it all back, buy as much as you want, forget about us guys and-"

"NOPE! TOO LATE!"

… … …

"_Oh Dust_…why has such a weight training method eluded me for so long?...Oh that's right, because no amount of strength could support _all this shit_!" My arms strained under the various bags belonging to the twins. A sidelong glance showed Ren similarly struggling under the weight of Nora's, with Ilia's modest additions added to those. Jaune, the lucky sumbitch, had Pyrrha and Amber as his charges, with Pyrrha barely needing to buy anything and Amber seemingly thrifty with her purchases as well.

"How is it…hah…that the strongest of us three, is the one holding the least stuff right now?" Jaune actually had the gumption to reach up and rub the back of his neck, while _still_ holding all the bags. Luckily, he was saved from mine and Ren's collective ire by Pyrrha.

"Due to previous status as a tournament fighter and with my sponsors, I was financially secure enough to purchase a sufficient wardrobe before coming to Beacon," the champion supplied, before frowning slightly. "Of course, most of those were left back at home, considering that I only needed them for the myriad of formal events I was required to attend."

"I'm actually kind of the opposite," Amber added from the front of our impromptu group. "Having been travelling around Vale for a while, I'm used to carrying relatively little, and am more comfortable in clothes that prioritize comfort and durability over aesthetics and fashion."

"Truuue, but you still look _great_ in those boots and that blouse." Melanie hungrily circled Amber, aided by an appraising Miltia. "And now that you're back in Vale proper, not to mention being a professor at Beacon, we have to get you looking the part too!"

"Doesn't Oobleck wear an untucked and rumpled shirt most of the time? And besides, I really don't think that's necessa-RYYYYY!" For two girls in dresses, they moved remarkably quick as they whisked the Fall Maiden towards the next set of shops, leaving Jaune, Ren and I straining to catch up.

After another couple hours or so of this, and Ren's near-collapse, the girls considered the clothes part of the trip a near-success. Amber, after being whittled down by the twins, had briefly modeled some outfits for them before picking out one. Pyrrha ended up selecting a black shirt, brown vest and red skirt that had Jaune's eyes sparkling. Ilia also shyly picked out a black skirt and maroon blouse, claiming that 'skirts didn't look right on her' despite numerous arguments to the contrary. Nora, on the other hand, unabashedly picked out a pink and black bomber jacket that looked quite similar to the one she wore during the show's Mistral arc. The twins, after much needling, _finally_ selected outfits that weren't skirts, opting for soft blouses and shorts in their colors that still showed off plenty of their legs and boots.

Unfortunately, us guys weren't considered exempt from the shopping either, and had gotten roped into modeling as well. Jaune had _again_ gotten away with least change, merely swapping out his Pumpkin Pete hoodie with a black shirt as Pyrrha insisted on the appeal of his 'normal look'. Ren had all manner of Mistralian clothing foisted onto him by Nora, including what looked like a yukata, along with a full-length green qipao that made him look like a wuxia character. As for me…

"Guys, I'm telling you, this isn't going to look good at all."

"Well, stop saying it and let us be the judge of that. Now get out here!"

"Hah…_Dust_…" I opened the changing room door and stepped out in view of the group, half of whom had their scrolls out.

"You look good, Kouzai," Miltia giggled as her scroll snapped a few pictures.

"I actually think he _does_ look good," Melanie replied from beside her, her expression satisfied.

"You would be the one to think that, Melanie," I sighed as I looked myself over. Dressed in all white, my previous outfit had been color-swapped, with white versions of my sleeveless shirt, pants and even boots forced into my hands. For extra flair, they'd even found a white tailcoat to complete the blinding ensemble.

Emerald eyes narrowed. "And what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing, totally not a dig at your choice of outfit color…" I shifted the coat slightly on my body, before looking back at the group. "Also, if we were in agreement that I should add a coat to my regular outfit, why don't I just get a black coat and call it a day."

"Kouzai, if we added a long, black coat to your _already all-black_ outfit, there would be no defending you from the claims of you being an edgelord."

"But but but…" I sulked for a moment. "How about if I add a bit of color into the outfit, like having a black shirt with the white outfit or vice-versa?"

"That wouldn't look bad at all," Ilia commented, and I nodded in grateful thanks to my partner, before I realized that I'd look eerily similar to some of Blake's outfits and sighed.

"Nope! It's gotta be all or none, that's where the visual appeal comes from!" Nora exclaimed gleefully.

"For the love of gods, people, all my weapons are pretty much white already. I can't have my whole outfit be white too…" I pleaded for divine intervention, and _something_ certainly intervened.

"As much as I hate the man, he's right. He'd end up looking like an Atlesian military stooge, only with even _less_ color."

"I'll have you know that Atlesian officers look very distinguished, Xiao Long! That being said, I'm shocked this ruffian has the taste to attempt aping their style."

'Damnit, Prim…or Qrow…' I slowly slid my eyes past our group, towards the four recent entrants into the shop.

"Ummm, hey guys…and Professor Autumn…" Ruby laughed weakly at the head of three other glaring girls. "Fancy running into you all here…I'm guessing you all are shopping for new clothes too?"

"You could say that." I looked at Melanie as I gestured over to Yang. "You see, Melanie? Even Yang thinks this outfit looks terrible on me, so if you don't mind, I'm gonna-"

"Like I give two shits about her opi-"

"On second thought, or second look, that outfit _totally_ fits with your style." Caustic honey dripped off Yang's words. "One might even say it looks downright _Kou-zzy_ on you…"

I glared at a smug Yang, and then at Nora for good measure as the bomber raised her hands in defense. "Don't look at me, I've been pretty sparing with the nicknames lately."

Meanwhile, Melanie was glaring at Yang, eyes narrowed before she smirked in return. "I still don't care about your ideas of what looks good, but I'll accept your approval in the greater interest of proper fashion."

'Damnit…' I sighed and looked towards RWBY. "Just give us a few minutes, and we'll all be out of your hair so that you shop to your heart's-"

"I think not!"

All present, including her own team, turned to look at an indignant and increasingly embarrassed Weiss. I incredulously asked, "So you _want_ to shop with us? With _me_ included?"

Weiss' eye twitched. "Despite dreading having to deal with all you _hooligans_…" the heiress shuddered. "The prospect of spending time with Professor Autumn in a casual capacity is far too enticing to pass up."

Now all eyes were on the Fall Maiden, who pointed a finger at herself. "Uhh, me?"

'So we have JNPR, KMMI, the _Fall Maiden_, and now Team RWBY, _all together_ in the middle of Vale…' I could feel my soul threatening to escape my body. "…We're either going to be at the enemies' throats, or at each other's throats by the end of the day…the two aren't even mutually exclusive…'

… … …

Against all odds, however, the three teams and professor _did not_ come to blows, either with each other or any particularly enterprising villains. Instead, after Team RWBY spent some time eventually picking out their Volume 2 alternate outfits, our group of _thirteen_ traipsed the streets of Vale, before selecting a Dust shop as our next destination. During our walk, however, the Whiterose pair peppered Amber with questions, though for distinctly similar and distinctly different reasons.

"How do the servos account for the Aura-electricity transfer ratio?" Wide, inquisitive, silver eyes inspected every inch of Amber's robotic arm, despite the limb still being attached to Amber's panicking body.

"Umm, I'm not sure of all the particulars, and this didn't exactly come with a manual. You'd have to ask Professor Ozpin for any more. Sorry." Amber looked pained as Ruby's eyes looked down in disappointment. Meanwhile, Weiss was also peering at the prosthetic.

"The mechanics certainly seem to be Atlesian in origin, and by quite the sophisticated creator at that." Ice-blue eyes looked up towards the Fall Maiden. "How exactly does your work as a huntress in Vale entail receiving cutting-edge Atlas technology, if I might ask?"

Both Amber and I stiffened at the difficult question, but it appeared that Amber had been coached through some of the more obvious questions that she'd be asked. "After I was injured in the line of duty, Professor Ozpin was kind enough to contact Headmaster Ironwood and request a prosthetic be made for me in preparation for my rehabilitation and employment as a professor."

By this point Ruby had managed to bounce back with some of her near-endless pep. "Ooh, ooh, is the arm capable of channeling your Semblance? Now that I think about it, what is your Semblance?"

Every student perked up at Ruby's question and subtly leaned in, meaning that the whole circle suddenly felt quite claustrophobic as Amber waffled, before adopting a smirk.

"You'll have to find out once I'm placed against someone in a sparring match." The Fall Maiden put a finger to her lips in mock coyness. "After all, a huntress has to keep at least _some_ of her secrets…" With a flourish, Amber opened the door to the Dust shop and walked inside.

"So cool…"

"Eh, bit of a cop-out if you ask me," Nora replied, as well all entered. "Guess we'll just have to challenge her during-what the hell?!"

We all fell silent, gazing around the Dust shop, and at the distinct lack of the commodity present. For what Dust there was available, prices were at eye-popping numbers, even with Beacon's student discount factored in.

"I am very sorry for the lack of wares at the current moment." The shopkeeper, a reedy, middle-aged man who was not _the_ shopkeeper was profusely apologizing. "With the current trend of Dust robberies in Vale, I barely have enough Dust to sustain costs, not to mention the fact that every Dust shop in Vale is on the chopping block."

None of us were happy at this turn of events, but Weiss was incensed. Striding forward, she asked the shopkeeper, "Have your fellow Dust merchants said anything about who has been stealing so much Dust recently?"

"Umm…some of my competitors have claimed that the White Fang robbed them." Weiss looked triumphant for a moment. "But I know for a fact that some of them are bigots who'd love nothing more than to scapegoat the Faunus. I've also heard that Roman Torchwick is behind all this."

Weiss' expression calmed and her eyes narrowed. "Roman…"

"Torchwick?" Eyes swiveled over to Ruby, who realized she was the sudden center of attention and ducked under her cloak's hood.

The shopkeeper was confused but continued. "So I apologize if what I have is insufficient or too pricy for your needs, but if you would care to purchase anything I would be very grateful."

"…I require refined Dust of these types, in these specific quantities if you possess them." Weiss presented the surprised shopkeeper with a list. "Lien is of little concern to me."

"R-Right away! Thank you!" The shopkeeper made to gather the heiress' order, as Weiss turned back to the group.

"If any of you should require Dust, I can order some from my family's company and use my discount. You all may reimburse me upon receipt of the Dust." Weiss fidgeted as everyone remained silent. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just…why buy Dust from this shop if you were just going to have some ordered from the SDC, especially if the price is so high?" Jaune asked.

"Hmph, a valid question, Arc. It's true that I could be furnished with high-quality Dust at nearly no expense through my family's company." Weiss' eyes softened. "However, that wouldn't help those merchants struggling under the near-monopoly on Dust that my father has created, who have done nothing to wrong me. Better that I be the one to patronize this store, considering that I am one of the best-equipped to afford it."

"Should I be so bold as to assume that your generous offer extends beyond your own team?" Melanie asked brusquely, before receiving a smack upside the head from Miltia.

"Despite my various misgivings about some of you, I see no reason why Vale's economy should suffer from my reasonable discontent." Weiss' tone was haughty, her posture stiff, but her words were _just_ warm enough. "So yes, I extend that offer to all of you as well."

"AWW, the Ice Queen does have a heart!" Nora went to hug Weiss, but was greeted with the tip of Myrtenaster.

"I've watched your spars, and have no interest in having my spine broken due to your stupidly high strength." Weiss' tone returned to being frosty.

"Aaand she's back," I sighed, mentally calculating the list of Dust I needed to ask Weiss for later. Turning back to the group, I asked, "Alright, so we've got clothes and Dust out of the way, so onto books then. Anyone know of a bookstore around here?"

"_I do_." Everyone looked at Blake and Ilia as both responded, then looked at each other.

'Something tells me that I know where we're headed…'

… … …

"Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun! How may I…" Tukson trailed off as his eyes flitted fearfully between Ilia and Blake, both of them standing right in front of the counter.

"_Why, hello Tukson_." Everyone inside the shop save Ilia shuddered at Blake's near-hiss. "What a coincidence that Ilia and I both found out that you have a shop in Vale. You know what would be even more surprising? If you knew that Ilia had been in Vale, and _you didn't tell me_."

"That would be surprising." The five-foot radius around the counter vacated as Ilia agreed with Blake. "Almost as surprising as if you knew that _Blake_ was in Vale, and didn't _warn me_."

"Ladies, let's let the businessman get back to his business," I said, drawing their attention off the profusely sweating Faunus and saving him from a mostly-undeserved death. "Good afternoon sir, my friends and I are looking for some books, and were wondering if you happened to have them in stock. Here's a list."

"Let's see what we've got here." Tukson gratefully accepted any excuse to keep his eyes off the two pissed former White Fang members. "Yeah, we've got nearly all of these. I'll uh, check the back while my assistant helps you look through the front. OI! We've got customers!"

There was a bang from the back room, and a good deal of swearing drifted from behind the double doors before a floppy-eared shadow appeared. "I'm telling you Tukson, we've gotta get a better camera system up, half of them keep going on the fritz and I'm not nearly enough of a miracle worker to-huh?...HEY, IT'S YOU GUYS!"

The glasses-wearing dog Faunus leapt over the counter and dragged Nora, Ren and I in for a hug, ignoring the yelps we made. Meanwhile, my brain was malfunctioning as I tried to form words. "P-P-Perry?!"

"From Wind Path?" Nora asked incredulously.

"Wait, you know each other?" Blake asked, shocked.

"Yeah, four years ago these three helped me-AH!" Perry winced from the sharp pinch I gave to his side, but thankfully got the message. "Helped me…out of a bad situation. Yeah! Afterwards, I left Mistral and came over to Vale, and the rest is history!"

"It wasn't a big deal," Ren tried deflecting, having caught onto the fact of exactly _which_ situation Perry was referring to, along with our agreement to keep the details of that incident quiet.

"Riggght…" Tukson, who'd likely heard the full story from Perry, didn't seem convinced. "Whatever the case is, a friend of Perry's is a reluctant friend of mine, so I'll give you all a discount on your purchases!"

"Thank you, sir!" Ruby cheered, seemingly oblivious to the knowing looks that all of Jaune, Pyrrha and the twins were sending our way. Yang seemed puzzled, Weiss seemed inquisitive, and Blake was _not_ looking in our direction, instead watching Ilia as Tukson passed a slip of paper off to the chameleon Faunus.

'Uh oh, super red alert. Quick, a distraction…' I cleared my throat. "You know, if we finish our business here quick enough, there might be enough time to stop by a _weapons shop_ and get some _ice cream_ after! I sure could use some help on _modifying my weapons_ and all that brain work makes me crave _sweets_ like crazy!"

JNPR and my team were looking at me, confused, but Weiss, Blake and Yang were gazing upon me with nothing but pure horror in their eyes. I heard a soft humming in the air, and turned to see Ruby literally vibrating in place, Petal Burst sending rose petals to the floor.

"Weapons shop? Ice cream? _Weapon mods_? _SWEETS_?!"

"RUBY NO, NOT IN THE SHOP!"

… … …

"Ruby please, no more weapon parts…"

"I'm almost done though, just five more minutes! Please?" Ruby used her patented puppy eyes on Yang, who instantly melted into an enabling puddle, then groaned as the accumulated weight of Ruby's weapon parts expenditures continued crushing her.

"You know, now that I see Yang going through all this, maybe having teammates that like clothes shopping isn't so bad." Ren and Jaune eagerly nodded in agreement, as Yang smirked, sweat rolling down her forehead.

"Don't you feel great, knowing that a girl is out-lifting the three of you?" The three of us looked at one another, then started laughing uproariously, leaving Yang looking bewildered. "What's so funny?"

"You thought…we'd feel bad at being weaker than you?" I gasped for breath, doubled over. "Yang, we know Nora. I just got _beat_ by Nora…Ren is Nora's boyfriend…the only one of us that has a chance of beating Nora in pure strength is Jaune, and he's _Pyrrha's_ boyfriend…traditional gender roles and such were abandoned a long time ago."

"Rats…you don't have a lot of buttons to press, do you?" Yang grunted, and I grinned in response.

"If I do, you'll have to find out." Yang pouted, and I laughed as I exited the weapons shop, taking a moment to marvel at the miraculous placement of a weapons shop and ice cream parlor right next to each other.

'Only Ruby Rose…or Neo, now that I think about it…' I furtively glanced around for any sign of the trichromatic enforcer, but thankfully she was nowhere in sight, with only Jaune joining me outside. "Wanna grab an ice cream while we wait for everyone to finish up? And where's Ren?"

"Nora," Jaune said simply, and that was answer enough. Stepping inside the store, I grabbed a mint chocolate chip, while Jaune chose cookie dough. Find a bench nearby to rest, we gratefully placed our armfuls of bags down as we enjoyed our just desserts.

"So I thought that today would be a flaming, explosive disaster, what with the hangovers, Professor Autumn and team RWBY tagging along with all of us." Jaune and I chuckled as we both implicitly understood who was the 'flame' and who was the 'explosion' in the equation. "But this was…pleasant, surprisingly so. I think, given time to settle our differences, hanging out regularly with team RWBY would be fun."

'Well, with the sum of their differences mainly being _me_, that's not a lot of pressure…' I had another mouthful of ice cream in thought. "I think credit really goes to Ruby, the person, for trying to smooth things over with her team. She may be younger than us, but she's got heart and grit."

"Why, thank you." Ruby giggled as she approached from the side, holding a monstrosity that I vaguely recognized as the shop's weekly special 'Smushed Grimm'. As Jaune and I made space for her on the bench, Ruby plopped down next to me. "I think the same goes for you two as well. I don't think I could've kept Weiss, Blake and Yang calm if you both hadn't kept your teams back too. But maaan, being a leader is hard…"

We all shared a laugh, taking a moment to enjoy the temporary peace before I raised my ice cream up. "Y'know what? After we solve everything between Weiss and Ilia, and Blake and Ilia, and Yang and Melanie, and Weiss and Melanie, and Yang and Nora…once we solve things between our teams, drinks are on me."

"Kouzai, I'm only fifteen right now…"

"Do you honestly expect _everything_ to get hashed out within two years?"

"Fair point…being a leader is _hard_…"

… … …

With arms straining and stomachs sated on sugar, we all disembarked from the Bullhead back to Beacon's grounds. As we all began walking back to the main buildings, Amber's scroll rang again.

"Oz…yeah, I'm back…you already know that…alright…give me a few minutes to head on up…" Amber hung up and looked back to our assembled group. "Sorry about that, kids. Duty, and likely some ignored paperwork, calls."

"Hey, we're only a few years younger than you," Nora pouted, a look mimicked by the twins and Yang, before looking over at Ruby. "Well, most of us, anyways…"

"Sorry, wrong turn of phrase. I guess it's just a matter of life experience, and time out on the frontier of the kingdoms shows you a lot…" Amber looked off towards the tower silently. "Would you all mind if I speak to Kouzai for a moment?"

"Uh-"

"SURE! C'MON, GUYS!" Nora gleefully shepherded her team, my team, and RWBY off as I rolled my eyes at her. After a minute or so, the Fall Maiden and I were the only ones around on the main path.

"Sooo, what can I do for you, Professor?" I tried for a cajoling tone to start.

"I…wanted to thank you for today. I'm sure accompanying me along for what amounts to errands wasn't exactly the most glamourous or fun way to spend your weekend, and I'm sure convincing your friends to come along with me wasn't easy, either." Amber smiled brightly, hazel eyes shining, and I was taken aback by her sincerity. "You know, it's strange…I meant what I said earlier, about the difference in life experience. But for some reason, that doesn't seem to be the case for some of you…you in particular, it's almost like you're older than you actually are…"

"Uhhhhhh, I have been told before that I've got one of those 'old souls', or am 'wise beyond my years', stuff like that," I desperately supplied. 'Holy crap! That's hitting far too close to the nail on the head!'

"Haha…bet you I know an older one." Amber smiled again, looking towards the tower. Looking back, she hesitated for a moment, before adding, "I'll…be speaking with Ozpin on being allowed to visit Vale more often. If I'm allowed, do you think you and your friends would like to accompany me again?"

"I'm sure they'll be fine with it, and RWBY will definitely be interested as well, especially Ruby and Weiss." I smiled back. "I'd be happy to."

There was a pause, before Amber coughed. "I'll be heading to the, staff meeting now. Have a good evening, Mr. Higure." With a soft flourish, Amber turned and walked down the path towards the Emerald Tower. I watched silently for a second, before turning and starting towards the dorms.

Before getting tackled by missiles of pink, white and red.

"KOUZAI! I need _all_ the details about your _private_ conversation with the professor!"

"Nora…_air_…"

… … …

… … …

She was late. That by itself wasn't worth thinking about, but that she was late to a meeting with _Cinder_…

"Damnit Neo, where the hell are you? It's hard enough as it is keeping us in the loop without you going off on impromptu excursions. I swear, if you're just going out for ice cream-"

The sound of shattering glass interrupted his grumbling, as his second-favorite person in the world appeared in front of him, holding the latest flavor from that ice cream place by the weapons shop. Smushed Grimm, was it?

"Neo!" Roman hissed. "We're about to go into a life-or-death stakes meeting with Cinder and the rest, and you went out for ice cream? What the hell am I gonna tell Cinder when-" He was interrupted again as Neo toyed around with her scroll, before his own rang. "What is it?"

Pulling out his scroll, he opened up the messaging app to view the attachment she'd sent him. A minute passed as he scrutinized every detail of the photo, before he looked up from his scroll. "Neo…what the _hell_?"

His enforcer giggled gleefully, then twirled around Hush and started making her way towards the meeting point. Roman followed behind, stealing frequent glances at the photo below.

The Fall Maiden, Amber Autumn. Little Red. Mr. Shady himself. The Schnee Heiress. Bully Boy's errant squeeze. A near-clone of Raven Branwen. Junior's brats. The Invincible Girl. All of them parked right outside the very ice cream shop that Neo likely was just at.

It was like every damn holiday Remnant had just rolled up into one.

"Oh, Cinder's gonna _love_ this…"

**A/N: Dun dun DUN…yeah, that wasn't the smartest move, was it? But then again, who could've known where Neo was, or where she'll be? She's the most unpredictable character in the whole franchise, after all. And really, what's the chances that Cinder and crew try an assault in broad daylight? Anyways, here are the review responses!**

**Raidentensho: Yeah, Cinder's plan for the Maiden powers will definitely have to be different than what she initially planned for. As for the Wyvern and Mount Glenn, involvement with those elements are still a ways off for now.**

**AlexFalTon: Ahh, gotta love parental supervision haha. And with Nora, Melanie and Miltia all friendly with one another, getting hammered was less of a possibility and more an inevitability. Regarding Junior, his characterization in the show was limited, but with what was provided and how I've written him, it seems reasonable that a potential kingdom-ending threat would be bad for business and bad for his and the twins' continued existence. And Amber is a fun element that I look forward to writing.**

**Gizmo Gear: Yup, lottsa stuff happening never stops, haha.**

**Oblivious IJ: Noooo, there's no way that Kouzai could possibly get in trouble for working for a known information dealer and crime boss…**

**R26: Huh, I actually had no idea the nickname meant something in a different language. The more you know, I guess. And now I'm the one that can't unsee Coco saying that. In terms of the whole Jaune and Cardin dynamic, that's definitely going to be different and will lead to different reactions elsewhere. As for Amber's appearance at the end there, she's looking for Junior and his services.**

**PyromaniacRabbit: Yeaaaaah, that point is definitely gonna come up at some point. Not to Amber of course, but for Kouzai.**

**The Ancient Irish Viking: Thanks for the review and critique. I'd like to think that my skill has gotten better the longer I've written this story, so I'm sure you'll improve quickly over time as well. As for your tips, I didn't even consider putting the review responses elsewhere, but I suppose I can think that over. Rest assured though, I'll be taking a break if it's needed.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 03/09/2020**


	29. Chapter 26: Cross the Stream

A Cosmic Journey

Chapter 26: Cross the Stream

Chapter Date: 03/16/2020

**A/N: I, am, alive! It's Monday again, and by the gods have the past seven days been shocking. Thanks to all those who wished me well during my brief work break, but rest easy in knowing that it was not health-related. I hope everyone out there has been keeping safe with the coronavirus spreading around like it is. If you're reading fanfics like this one chances are you might be less inclined to do a whole lot of travelling, but still best to stay safe if possible. It occurred to me while writing this chapter that it's interesting, and perhaps unfortunate, that Kouzai's firearm Corona was named as such months before all this started happening. Nonetheless, logic hasn't stopped some of the hysterics from being worried that the alcoholic drink Corona will give them the virus, so rest assured when I say that a fictional object will not be thing that gets you infected.**

"I'm sorry, _what now_?"

The past few weeks since our first weekend excursion into Vale had been pleasant, to say the least. After time to settle into a groove, the daily schedule of classes, sparring, free training and general relaxation gradually became familiar. Working with Melanie and Miltia on shoring up their bookwork and combat training progressed far more thanks to the aid of teams JNPR and CFVY, which only made the team of second-years closer with our group. Attempts by Jaune, Ruby, _Coco_ and I to involve RWBY had been met with either frosty dismissal, indifference or simmering grudges. Not even the prospect of hanging out with esteemed second-years was enough for Weiss to brave the chaos that was our group, though she made valiant efforts towards speaking with CFVY when separated from our teams. Ruby and I prayed that Coco's persistent friendliness would melt the Ice Queen's exterior, which would put another point in favor of ending hostilities between the teams.

Speaking of hostilities, the dreaded Jaundice arc from Volume 1 had been thankfully avoided, due to a combination of Jaune being quite frankly terrifying to fight, as well as Cardin finding a new target for his ire: me. Thanks to my spars over the weeks with Sky, Russel and then Dove, the three members of CRDL had lost in matches after I'd found, exploited and then explained their weaknesses. My lack of smugness in victory seemed to allow for their grudging appreciation, but those feelings fell short when it came to their leader. In a typical display of masculinity, Cardin somehow thought that I was 'stealing' his team away from him in an effort to 'show him up outside the ring, since I was obviously weaker than him'. All present rolled their eyes at his words, but the fight records backed him up, with his matches finishing far faster than mine. Cardin had already made blatant requests to Goodwitch to fight me, but the Headmistress fortunately stuck hard and fast to her prohibition on fight requests. Even more fortunately, she'd then set him up against Amber in the ring, and I was witness to the gulf of power between an average first-year student and a Maiden.

It was fifteen wonderful seconds of gloriousness.

Unfortunately, however, both Cardin and I were running out of opponents we hadn't fought yet, so I knew it was just a matter of time. And even more unfortunately, I was in no position to get any mercy from Goodwitch, as my stance on tactics and weaponry seemed to be whittling her down to her last straw. I'd considered trying to ask Amber for help on that front, but such thoughts were put on hold given Goodwitch's most recent announcement.

"Parents…weekend?" I turned to look at my team and JNPR, the bewilderment clear on my face. "Since when was this a thing?"

"Umm, for a while now, man," Jaune replied. "Haven't you been aware of the other announcements about it for the past couple weeks?"

'If by aware you're referring to my in-class anti-Cinder brainstorming sessions, then yes, I'm totally aware.' I looked towards Ilia and the twins. "Did you three remember?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't mean much to us," Melanie scoffed, before gesturing to herself and Miltia. "Better for everyone if our parents, biological or otherwise, don't show up on Beacon's grounds. As for Ilia-"

"My parents are no longer with me," Ilia finished, and I winced at her flat tone. "As for you, you don't remember much about your life, so no one to invite. Making us a team who the announcements don't apply to."

"But you can bet that we're all gonna be involved anyways, with or without parents. Well, at least Kouzai is." We all glanced at Nora, who shrugged matter-of-factly. "What? I overheard Ruby and Yang talking about how their family's coming, and considering all the glowing reviews Yang's likely given about you…"

'Qrow. Raven. Tai. Oooooohhhhhhh, hell…' I paled with each successive name, fast approaching Weiss' skin tone. 'This is it, this is how I die…'

"When do the parents start coming?" I asked with the air of a man inquiring how long he had to live. "And more importantly, Melanie, Miltia, you think Junior will let me borrow his bomb shelter this weekend?"

"There's no way it'll be that bad, you big baby." Melanie paused as she caught Nora and Ren wincing. "Ohh…so it _is_ that bad…"

"Yang's mom singlehandedly beat Nora, Ren and I simultaneously less than four years ago. She could probably still do it now." My frank statement along with Nora and Ren nodding had the twins and Ilia openmouthed as we headed for the cafeteria. "Yang's dad and uncle are just as strong as her mom, so imagine three of them."

"…Junior can probably have it ready by the time you get there." Miltia shakily brought out her scroll, but I shook my head and waved her hand down.

"That was more of a joke than anything, Miltia. If Yang's family is searching for me for any reason, they'll find me in short order. Plus, if they find out I'm hiding in Junior's, it's not going to be a fun time for me _and_ Junior. The Branwens are kind of master trackers." I rubbed my face in exasperation. "Best to just face the music and hope Ruby vouching for me is enough to not get atomized."

"What are the chances that you'd potentially earn the ire of one of the most powerful families on Remnant?" Ilia questioned. I slumped over my tray of food.

'Very good, if my interfering in the plot of RWBY and ownership of Luna are anything to go by.' A response on the tip of my tongue, the words were lost as I heard raucous laughter coming from a few tables away. Along with a familiar cry of pain.

"Oow, that hurts!"

I turned towards what I knew would be Velvet, along with Cardin and the rest of his team. The red-haired boy had his hands yanking on Velvet's ear just like in canon, with Velvet wincing in pain.

'Time to make fools of people.' Reacting automatically, I started making my way over towards the ruckus, holding my tray of food with one hand and reaching towards Luna's sheath with my other. 'And, you know, myself.'

Channeling my Aura towards Luna, I stepped forward and watched as a piece of fruit fell from one of the nearby tables as I did, rolling under my foot and upsetting my balance. Tipping forward, I let myself launch towards Cardin and Velvet, hands flinging outward as I did. One hand grabbed Cardin's wrist and gently pried his fingers off Velvet's ear, while the other hand slammed a tray full of food into Cardin's face. My momentum carrying me into the fellow team leader, Cardin's surprise upset his balance as he fell backwards, the food that hadn't met his face splatting against the table as his back hit the surface.

The cafeteria had gone silent as I slowly picked myself up off the ground, made a show of looking around at the stunned faces, and picked up the errant fruit before handing it back to it's gobsmacked owner. "Do be careful, we wouldn't want any accident-prone people like me to get injured now, would we?"

SLAM

"RRRAAAAGH!" Cardin chucked the lunch tray off his face, wiping a hand to clear his vision before cruel blue eyes centered on me. "HIGURE! YOU ASSHOLE, YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE!"

"Actually, I was coming over to not-so-gently remove your hand from Velvet, but tripping on fruit was just an unfortunate accident." I glanced at a shocked Velvet and subtly nodded, before looking back at Cardin with an air of disappointment. "What? Do you think I'd waste my food just to make you look bad?"

"FUCK THE RULES, I'M GONNA SMASH YOUR FACE INTO THE TILE!" Cardin bull-rushed towards me, swinging a meaty fist towards my face. Tracking his movements with Chronometry, I blocked with my armored arm as I drew Luna from its sheath, thrusting the blade towards Cardin's exposed neck. The bully froze just as I also stopped my attack, the knife's tip mere centimeters from pricking his Aura. Cardin's adam's apple moved as he swallowed. "Y-you've done it now. No weapons allowed outside of classes and free training-"

"Except if they're easily transportable and carry no Dust function," I recited the relevant part of Beacon's rule back to him, before smirking. "After all, can you imagine trying to balance that overcompensating mace of yours in Oobleck's class without accidentally setting off that Fire Dust crystal?"

"_Mr. Higure…Mr. Winchester…I trust you have a good explanation for this situation?_"

Both Cardin and I froze, and I turned to look at the irate expression of Beacon's Headmistress. Arms crossed and with her crop already in hand, her glare promised a swift and painful death.

I blurted out the first feasible excuse. "Self-defense? He came to attack me, and I reacted accordingly to end the fight without harm? Cardin here doesn't have a mark on him."

Goodwitch's only response was to raise an eyebrow, her eyes shifting to look at the mess of food caked on Cardin's hair, face, clothes and armor.

"I tripped…" Goodwitch's glare intensified five-fold, and it occurred to me how weak of an excuse it sounded like.

"I-it's true, professor! He tripped on fruit when walking towards Cardin and I…" Velvet trailed off as Goodwitch turned to look at her, and I watched the gears turn in her head as Goodwitch glanced between Cardin, Velvet and I, and finally at the knife in my hand.

"…See to it that there is no further reason to cause such incidents again." Goodwitch's statement might as well have been directed to the student populace at large, from how everyone nodded fervently at her chilled words. With a flick of her crop, the food on Cardin's body and the table was gathered and deposited in a garbage can, before Goodwitch turned to face Cardin and I. "And Mr. Higure? You cannot be the smartest individual in the room all the time."

As Goodwitch departed, and the icy chill of death gradually faded, the cafeteria slowly came back to life while Cardin glared at me. "Don't think this is over for a second. I don't care what Goodwitch has to say-"

"Hey, doesn't the rest of Team CFVY have their lunch break right about now?" I looked past Cardin at Velvet, who nodded slowly. Cardin's face reddened with anger and embarrassment at being ignored, but before he could act again, the rest of his team had approached and was pulling him away.

"C'mon man, let's get out of here before Coco shows up," Dove stated nervously.

"Neither of them are worth it," Russel tried reassuring his leader, to no avail. Sky for the most part remained silent, but glanced back at me and nodded once as they half-walked, half-dragged their leader out of the cafeteria.

"Just you wait, Higure! I'll pay you back in the ring!" Cardin shouted from the doorway, before he and his team disappeared from sight. Sighing, I approached a bewildered Velvet, whose expression shifted to one of embarrassed gratitude and annoyance.

"You didn't need to help, you know." Velvet stood up and began walking with me back to KMMI and JNPR's table.

"We'll agree to disagree on that count, but the bottom line is that I wanted to," I replied, before glancing around. "Though, if it helps, I'd like it if Coco didn't find out about this little incident, for both mine and Cardin's sakes. For distinctly different reasons though."

"_That_, I do agree with." Velvet sighed as we drew close to the table. Already, the expressions from those present ran the gamut, with Pyrrha and Jaune looking on with pride, Ren and Ilia with satisfaction, and Nora and the twins with shit-eating grins. "The last thing we need is for Coco to jump on this news."

"What's this about little old me now? Don't tell me the two of you are hiding sordid secrets from me!" Freakishly strong arms grasped Velvet and I by the shoulders, as my sunglasses-wearing companion appeared from behind with a wide grin. "So, what'd I miss?"

"Ah, let me tell you all about it!" Nora cackled as both Velvet and I sighed.

'Well, bad luck comes back around eventually…'

… … …

"Alright Yang, let's get this over with," I called out as I approached the brawler, with Yang turning to face me with a look of faux surprise.

"I have _no_ idea what you're talking about," Yang lied through her teeth, quite awfully so. "I'm just here waiting for my family to arrive. I don't know what _you_ need to be here for."

"Despite your…negative perception of me, I trust that you believe me intelligent enough to notice what you think of me," I replied dryly. "I also happen to know some of the people coming to visit you today, and if you complained to them about me half as much as you do to anyone at Beacon, something tells me that they'll want to pay me a visit. Better that I'm out in the open than inside anywhere _breakable_ and valuable to me."

"Y'know, kid has a point."

Hearing a voice behind me without any other signs of a presence, my first instinct was to duck and pivot around, which let me avoid the tanned arm that shot over my head. Before I could get my bearings, an arm bearing tattoos blurred towards my left side. Bending my arm and focusing my Aura, I felt the impact against my armored limb as I was launched off my feet. Throwing out my right arm to handspring off the ground, I righted myself and landed upright, skidding a few feet as I observed my attacker.

Brown cargo shorts and a leather vest were joined by seemingly mismatched accessories like a spaulder, vambrace and glove accompanying a red bandana. Slightly-grayed blond hair appeared tussled on the man's head, with a soul patch as facial hair. Crinkled ocean-blue eyes and an easygoing smile gave an aura of amusement, aided by the man's tattooed arms resting behind his head.

"Not bad, Kouzai Higure. I can see why Qrow talks about you like he does." Taiyang jerked his head behind him, and I looked past him to see that Qrow had somehow arrived without a fuss, likely during the brief exchange by Taiyang and I. The veteran scythe-wielder, looking happier and cleaner than I'd last seen him, was getting tackled by both Ruby and Yang.

"I'm surprised that he talks about me at all, given the nature of our conversations together," I admitted, pitching my voice so that Qrow could hear. "I'm also surprised he didn't join you in the surprise beatdown just now."

"Nah, that comes later, kid. Enjoy your freedom while you can," Qrow joked, before glancing at Taiyang and nodding.

"Girls, I'll just be a minute. I'm gonna have a chat with Kouzai here." Tai winked at me out of sight of Team RWBY, and I relaxed knowing that I wasn't seriously about to have a fight with another member of Team STRQ. On the other hand, Weiss, Blake and Yang looked frankly ecstatic, while Ruby glanced worriedly between them, Tai, Qrow and I as we walked towards the gardens.

"So Mr. Xiao Long, I take it this conversation _isn't_ on how Qrow will be adopting me, cause I gotta say, that man is a long ways away from being capable of parenthood," I joked at Qrow's expense as Taiyang chuckled. "Plus, I think your children would simultaneously explode, Yang from anger and Ruby from excitement."

"Okay first, call me Tai. I'd like to think I'm still in great shape to avoid being addressed like an old man. And you'd be surprised when it comes to Qrow. Being with Winter for as long as he has, has let him straighten up a bit. I understand I've got you and a couple of your friends to partially thank for that." I nodded silently, letting him spread the credit and likely blame amongst Nora, Ren and I. "On the matter of my girls and their opinions of you though, you're pretty spot-on. At first though, Ruby's perception of you wasn't great, and had both of them held grudges against you, this conversation would've likely been a lot more violent. Thanks to Ruby and Qrow filling me in though, I recognize that it's mostly just Yang being overprotective after that incident with Roman Torchwick."

"Err, yeah, I'm sorry about all of that. I wasn't exactly sure how explicit I should be with the whole 'look after them' request from Qrow, and I _really_ didn't want to deal with being in an interrogation room with Professor Goodwitch." I winced, before another thought occurred to me. "Though…there _is_ another reason why Yang happens to be mad with me, and it's definitely more of a sore topic. Does she…I mean, her mother…"

Tai seemed to grasp what I was fumbling with, looking somewhat apologetic. "Yeah, I'll be the first to admit the Branwens can be a little…complicated when it comes to their expression of emotions, and definitely little heavy-handed in their actions. I'd like to apologize for what my wife put you and your friends through years back. If it helps, she's…mellowed out a bit since then, for lack of a better word." Tai seemed to be contemplating something. "Raven's…been around since then, and has made efforts towards being part of the family again. But it's not a perfect system, and far from a happy ending, and with her absences, Yang can be a little emotional when it comes to finding out more about her."

I nodded. "I gathered as much from what Qrow mentioned a couple years back, along with what Ruby and Yang have mentioned. Speaking of which, I'm guessing those 'absences' are why she didn't accompany you and Qrow here today?"

"Something like that," Tai replied, and I had to try my hardest to act casual when a rustle came from the tree above, and a red-eyed raven landed amongst the branches. "In any event, I guess I wanted to have this talk just to assure you that neither Qrow nor I have any sort of bad blood with you, be it because of Raven, Qrow, Yang or Ruby. I'm not positive on what Raven thinks, but I believe that she's just as thankful as Qrow and I that you're looking after Yang and Ruby. Given recent developments on Remnant, knowing that our girls are protected even just a little bit more helps us rest easier at night."

"I made a promise with Qrow, and I intend to honor it. Plus, I can see this spark within Ruby and Yang, a light to their souls that shows how special they are." I paled when I realized how that might sound to their _dad_. "I mean, special as in gifted, and _not_ anything to be construed as romantic interest! Really!"

"Snrkk…heh heh…HA HA HA!" Tai doubled over in laughter, and I sagged in relief that I wasn't about to be flattened. Straightening up, Tai wheezed for a second. "Whew, Raven wasn't kidding when she said that your life is kind of a mess when it comes to romance."

"…Should I be concerned that _Raven Branwen_ of all people is keeping tabs on my love life? Because I'm _very_ concerned at the moment…"

"Eh, Raven was always nosier than she showed through that cold exterior of hers. Just think of it as showing interest in people that intrigue or amuse her." Tai shrugged, and I could only agree with his inability to accurately gauge Raven. Then Tai turned to look at me apologetically again, pulling out a slip of paper and handing it to me. "On that _note_ though, I am sorry about this…"

"Sorry about what, exactly?" I took the paper, unfolding it to read the neat scrawl written.

_Consider this thanks, or maybe payback. Not sure which. Either way, I'd start running._

"OI! KOUZAI!"

'Oh, you have _got_ to be _shitting_ me…' Hearing the thrum that accompanied Kindred Link, I turned away from Tai to glance behind me at a figure I hadn't seen in nearly four years.

"Oh…hey…Vernal…"

The bandit smirked. "Ready for our rematch?"

… … …

… … …

"Why do I always get stuck with the crappy parts?"

Mercury lounged against the wall of an office building, taking a break from watching the Atlesian Embassy and SDC branch office nearby.

Even when the initial plan had been put together, it was _him_ that had to take the fall during the Vytal Tournament and get the stuffing intentionally beat out of him. Then the entire ambush was botched by Ozpin's former proteges and even the Specter. And now that the new plan was coming together, who was it that got stuck with surveilling Atlas buildings, instead of Vacuo or Mistral ones? Hell, that ice-cream midget got away with keeping an eye on weapon stores and _ice cream parlors_! What kind of 'defenders of humanity' stopped for a quick soft-serve?

"Immature brats, the lot of them," Mercury growled, before smirking. They'd all get a dose of reality though, once Cinder's plan came together. Thoughts of her obsession with the Fall Maiden and the Specter aside, her eye for tactics and manipulation was just as strong as ever.

Mercury leaned off the wall and brushed off his back, before resuming his patrol around the area, his mood souring quickly.

On the one hand, he had the most important buildings to cover, and if anyone showed up he'd have his hands full. On the other hand, if he managed to come up empty, Cinder would likely fry him on the spot.

"Just my luck…what's a guy gotta do to-OOF!" Mercury turned the corner and bounced off a colorful wall, landing on his still-human backside. Wait…colorful…wall? His eyes trailed up.

"Wait a sec…who the hell are you?"

**A/N: A bit short for my tastes, but all the sudden news and changes to my schedule these days are kicking my ass. I wanted to make sure to have something decent out for the readers at least, and adjustments to the pacing of the rest of the volume can always be made. Thanks for bearing with me, and be sure to stay safe until next week! Remember, even if you may not be feeling sick, it's better to practice caution and prevent anyone else from potentially catching anything.**

**Gabe2000: It's not within my writing repertoire to introduce characters just to kill them off to showcase the villains' skills. That being said, who knows how the course of events may have been shifted, and that's not even factoring in that Volume 1 still isn't over yet, so we'll see.**

**AlexFalTon: Yeah, the casual weekend in Vale was a bit of fluff that I didn't realize how fun it'd be write, so stuff like that will definitely be appearing more. As for potential ships, there are many intervening forces, Destiny being not the least of them, that prevent something like that from happening. We've still got a ways to go, and a whole lot of buildup, before anything might possibly get to that point.**

**HoldMyFOOF: Oh, Kouzai regrets many things about what he does, and this one's just getting thrown on the pile. Part and parcel of it all though is taking the good with the bad about his actions though.**

**Raidentensho: There are precious few things that Kouzai has planned for that have not blown up in his face in some way or another, to the point where it seems to be a bit of an implicit expectation for him. As for alternative colors, all I can say is that the show makes it too dang easy to get away with wearing just one set of colors all the time, haha.**

**Oblivious IJ: The thought that Kouzai had was more of a paranoid musing than anything else, one that he dismissed from his simultaneous hangover and complete lack of sleep. In any event, when travelling with a group of that many notable individuals, it's pretty much resignation at that point that if someone wants to keep an eye on you, there's very little you can do to prevent that.**

**R26: Apologies for the missed chapters, as juggling classes with work and this makes for a tight schedule. I think catching up shouldn't be an issue come spring break though, so I'll keep an eye out. As for Kouzai, I first resent the implication of being at all similar to Edgy D, save for choice of clothing color. In terms of Kouzai's outfit, it's a set of aviators, sleeveless turtleneck, cargo pants, belt with pouches, segmented armor plates on his left arm, and combat boots. And yes, all of it is in black.**

**The Ancient Irish Viking: It's no issue, and I think it might work out better and let the readers get to the chapter quicker. No writer is without room for improvement.**

**The Keeper of Worlds: Glad to see the story's been enjoyable, and here's to hoping I continue to deliver to all who are interested. Feel free to give any thoughts, ideas or constructive criticism if it happens across your mind while reading.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 03/23/2020**


	30. Chapter 27: Give Them An Inch

A Cosmic Journey

Chapter 27: Give Them An Inch

Chapter Date: 03/23/2020

**A/N: Yeaaaah, this might be unnecessary, but as a word of caution to all readers, make sure that your internet router is fully functional during times of quarantine. If it, say, happens to malfunction while your entire city is pretty much on lockdown, leaving you without internet for your writing, classes and work…that would be bad. As you can guess, this happened to me, and all I'll say on that is the past week has been long, stressful and at points downright surreal. I might as well do my part and just caution to all, stay inside and practice healthy hygiene. Even if non-senior citizens aren't necessarily impacted by the virus, and there's no indication that factoid is true just yet, better to stay safe for any friends or family who could be adversely affected. Hopefully this does a little bit to help make the social distancing and quarantine better.**

This was not good.

CRASH

I mean, between initiation, Junior getting the drop on me, team RWBY having it out for me, etc., I've had that thought more than a few times in the past few weeks. But this?

"HOLD STILL!"

Yeah, this had prime 'Fuck you, Kouzai' material written all over it.

Guarding against a slash Vernal's blades with my armored arm, I deflected her other blade with Luna before raising Corona to fire off a shot of Lightning Dust. Vernal wisely ducked under the bullet instead of deflecting it and backed up a few feet. I took the time to glance at an amused Taiyang lounging off to the side. "OI! Wanna intervene and _not_ be witness to a murder here?!"

"Oh, sorry, sorry," Tai chuckled, but made no move towards Vernal or I. "It's just, it reminds me of the old days, where Qrow or Raven or I would get into a scuffle like this, before Summer would come along to whoop all our asses."

SLASH

"NOT HELPING, TAI!"

"Hey, I said that _I _wouldn't be putting any hurt on you. Her on the other hand…" Tai gave a thumbs up, and for sanity's sake I didn't try and guess who it was for.

'Well, that was the opposite of helpful…' I tried a different tactic and faced the smirking bandit instead. "C'mon Vernal! We're kind of in the middle of _Beacon Academy_ right not, with innocent people around and a _very strict_ headmistress…let's just put a pause on this until a better time."

"I don't see any innocents around here," Vernal replied, and I had to glance around to confirm that, _somehow_, Beacon's garden and main courtyard were nearly empty of civilians and students.

'How in the…' I trailed off mentally as my eye caught and focused on something towards the school, and I slapped my face with Mortem. 'You have got to be kidding me…'

"Come one, come all! Place your bets for the beatdown-I mean, match of the century between two heels! We have Kouzai, the guy that everyone loves to hate, and Vernal, the pissed-off fighter with a chip on her shoulder from their last match!"

"I DO NOT!"

"QROW!" Vernal and I both paused in our outbursts, before mutually clearing our throats.

"Twenty lien on Miss Tattoos!" Yang crowed, slapping the card into Qrow's hand. She was followed by a subtly malicious Blake and seemingly indifferent Weiss.

"Well then, forty on Kouzai!" Nora shouted, glaring at Yang as JNPR, the twins and Ilia stood off to the other side. The blonde brawler narrowed her eyes.

"I change my bet to fifty!"

"Sixty!"

"Se-ow, Ruby!"

"So, this is the kind of environment that you've been languishing in," Vernal commented, glancing at the peanut gallery before turning back to me. "Small wonder that you were caught without your main weapon."

"Well, you know, I'm sure a steady diet of banditry, thievery and extortion make for strong warriors, but I'm a more conventional fighter." My comment had Vernal frowning.

"We haven't been like that for a while now, not that you'd know anything about that." Her hands tightened on her weapons. "Still, training under Raven the past three years has made me far superior to what you were."

"Great, sure, yep, you got me. Congratulations, you win, I'm free to go, right?"

"Nope." Nuts, did everyone saying that word sound like Ruby?

I sighed, swapping Luna over to my left hand and Corona over to my right. "Figures." Then I dashed forward, left arm guarding the front of my body. As Vernal threw her wind and fire blades, I used Chronometry to duck under one before deflecting the other. As I closed in on Vernal, I lashed with Luna while channeling Aura to the knife.

THUNK

As Vernal parried with one of her blades, she turned to see the other buried in a tree on its return flight.

'Weakness 1: Boomerangs aren't much use if they can't return to you.' Really, that was the only difference between Vernal's weapons and Tyrian's. Now down to one weapon, Vernal thrusted the blade forward, but I stabbed Luna down into the large opening of the weapon's grip, using Burst to halt all momentum. Kicking out, I wrenched the other blade out of Vernal's hand and threw it at a separate tree. Turning back, I watched Vernal charge towards me. 'Weakness 2: Her fighting style primarily relies on-UGH!'

Blocking a kick with my left arm, I watched as Vernal yanked on my right arm to land a hook into my body, before dragging Corona out of my loosened hand.

"Don't think I'm anything like I was back then," Vernal growled, weighing Corona in her hand before levelling my own weapon at me. "Looks like you're still carrying the weapon Raven gave you. I didn't peg you for the sentimental type."

"Yes, because I'm nostalgic of the time I got the snot beat out of me by her," I panted harshly, switching Luna to my free hand. "Never hurts to be prepared, and I've made a few modifications along the way."

"Well thanks for the heads up, I'll be sure to use them on you!" Dashing forward, Vernal covered her approach with a few well-placed shots, forcing me to cover with my armored limb before she jumped out and double-kicked my arm away. Activating Mortem, I channeled the Dust barrier around me for a moment to block the bullets she fired.

'Okay, her hand-to-hand is clearly a lot better, I can't hold Mortem forever, and I've got no ranged options right now. Well, I've got one, but…' I glanced down at Luna, before shaking my head. "Can't bust out an Aura strike with it, otherwise _someone_ around is bound to put two and two together…alright, in that case!'

Jumping back, I deactivated Mortem as I channeled Aura to use Chronometry. Across from me, Vernal bared her teeth in a feral grin, crouched with Corona in her hand. Tensing, I rocketed forward as she did the same.

"_Enough_." Both Vernal and I smashed into barriers of invisible force, before our limbs were bound to our sides. Closing my eyes, I concentrated and saw the lavender Aura encircling us as the blood drained from my face. Opening my eyes, I saw Goodwitch stalking past Qrow and the others over to Vernal and I. Coming to a stop in front of us, she glared at us with nuclear intensity. "Taiyang, would you care to explain what is happening here? _Now_."

'Huh?' I was barely able to turn my head and glance sideways. In the middle of trying to sneak away, and doing a fantastically poor job of it, was Tai. Somehow the father of two looked surprised at the fact that he'd been spotted, doing a bashful pose as he faced Goodwitch.

"H-hey, Glynda, great to see you! Sooooo…this was just a friendly spar between Kouzai and Vernal here! They've known each other for years and haven't been in touch for a while, so they figured it was just a way to blow off steam! It's not like there was any danger or big damage…" Tai trailed off as Goodwitch glanced around at the trampled flowers, gouged tree and generally torn-up sod. Emerald eyes glared at cowering blue as an eyebrow was raised. Tai lasted maybe five seconds before pointing a finger. "It was Qrow's idea!"

"In the event of a draw, the procee-huh? You sonofabitch!" Faced with the prospect of an annoyed Goodwitch, Qrow's legendary survival instincts kicked in, and the veteran huntsman dashed into the school.

"QROW! Grr…I'll give him a lashing so thorough he won't have any feathers left to fly…" Goodwitch growled before turning back to Tai, Vernal and I. "Tai…out of respect of the fact that it is parents' weekend at Beacon, I will allow you to return to your children, so long as _no further trouble_ occurs either directly or indirectly due to a Xiao Long, Branwen _or _Rose."

"Yup, sounds good, thanks again Glynda!" Tai streaked away with speed showing the familial resemblance between him and Ruby, leaving Vernal and I attempting to burn holes into his back.

"As for _you two_…" Goodwitch sighed and faced us. "You both will be seeing headmaster Ozpin about this incident. Now, I trust that you are both capable of walking to his office without coming to blows once more? If no, I will be happy to bind you and carry you there myself." At our frantic nods, Glynda waved her crop and the almighty full-body bind vanished, letting Vernal and I hit the ground on our feet.

As Goodwitch waved for us to follow, I glanced at an unnaturally pale Vernal. Chuckling, I commented, "Yeah, I tried to warn you what would happen if we fought…I'm sure Raven's shown you some scarier sights though, likely downright magical…"

"Wha?...Uh-huh, yeah…" Vernal replied distractedly, still keeping a wary eye on Goodwitch. I narrowed my eyes at the lack of a biting quip, but followed Goodwitch towards Ozpin's office.

CAWW CAWW

'Yeah yeah, laugh it up Raven…'

… … …

"So, quite the interesting circumstances that you find yourself in, Mr. Higure." Ozpin sipped at his cup of cocoa, as my eye twitched at both the retcon and the situation.

As my first time inside Ozpin's office at the top of the tower, and as an individual trying very hard to get over their fear of heights, my presence here was stressful enough as it was. Add in the fact that I was seated beside an irate Vernal, with a similarly annoyed Goodwitch to Ozpin's right, and in Ozpin's office in the first place to explain an unsanctioned fight between a student and a non-student? Yeah.

"If I am to reconcile the accounts given to me by you and this lovely young woman here, you were both having a spar on Beacon's ground, with weapons, without any protective measures?" I nodded, and Ozpin took another dramatic sip. "Furthermore, you believe this to be the work of Misters Xiao Long and Branwen?"

"They had nothing to do with it! I'm my own person, and I'll be-" Vernal was silenced with a firm glare by Goodwitch, but crossed her arms.

"Let's…just say that a rematch between Vernal and I was likely long past due," I hedged evasively as Vernal scoffed. "That being said, I don't think it would've been nearly as easy to occur if Qrow, Tai…and Raven didn't push things along a little, so to speak."

Ozpin merely raised an eyebrow at the mention of Raven's name, and Vernal looked none too happy with my mention of her name. "So, am I to believe, given your demeanor, appearance and skills, that you are affiliated with Miss Branwen?"

"…I'm an employee of hers, from her business. So to speak." Vernal begrudgingly supplied, and Ozpin nodded, confirmation all over his face.

"That would explain the confidence and abilities you displayed earlier. Raven appears to be an apt instructor." A note of almost-pride hung in the air, before Ozpin frowned and lowered his mug. "However, this was still a violation of Beacon's regulations, and could have ended in injuries or far worse due to such a lack of caution. As such, there must be consequences for such behavior."

'Ahh great, this is gonna suck.' I tried mentally running through every task Ozpin could have me do that would end up sinking me deeper into his circle, but was coming up empty.

"Your team's recent excursions into Vale, accompanying Professor Autumn, will be postponed until further notice. Individual or partner trips can be arranged on a case-by-case basis, but such outings are considered as a luxury, one that may be rescinded." I thought about informing the twins, or god forbid Amber of the news. "Furthermore, I have been told by Professor Goodwitch that your performance in her sparring class, while strategic, is far from efficient and falls short of your supposed best. Consequently, Professor Goodwitch will have the ability to dictate your opponents and equipment, with such measures to be taken as formal rules of the match."

"As for you, young lady," Ozpin turned to Vernal now, "Despite your skill on a battlefield, your actions were still reckless and could have potentially endangered lives. Due to the apparent preparation of Taiyang and Qrow, no such incident occurred, but such results should be seen as the rare exception, and not the norm. I will not be tolerating further unsanctioned action on Beacon's grounds. _Is that clear_?"

Something ancient stirred in Ozpin's eyes, noticeable to all in the room as Vernal struggled to maintain eye contact. "…Yes…" At her word, the feeling vanished.

"Wonderful. I believe that concludes our business then, and you both may return to the festivities of the weekend." Ozpin cheerfully rose from his desk, grabbed his mug and went to stand by the window, for all intents and purposes like the talk had never happened. As Vernal and I left our seats and entered the elevator down, I took a deep breath.

"So…I'm thinking that this, all of this, was probably not what you expected."

Sullen blue eyes glanced over. "…No…I envisioned a better fight, a more satisfying win."

Ouch. "Well, sorry to disappoint if you weren't able to 'claim victory' over me or what have you."

Boots shuffled. "That's not what I meant…"

"Huh?" Before I could question the _former_ bandit, we reached the ground floor, and Vernal exited as the doors opened. Sighing, I slapped a hand onto my face, knowing what was gonna come next. "Well, this is gonna be great…"

… … …

"Ha-ha! Mama's got some lien to spend on Bumblebee thanks to Kouzai getting his ass handed to him!"

"Like! Hell! Kouzai had her on the ropes there, if anything that lien is going to _me_!"

"Uncle Qrow! Why did you create a betting ring on Kouzai?"

"It was just a bit of fun, pipsqueak, nothing harmful…"

"Is this your new hobby now that you've put down the flask, Qrow?" I asked dryly, drawing all assembled eyes over to Vernal and I. "I wonder if I should let Winter know that you've switched out drinking for gambling on unsanctioned fights."

"ERK! Listen kid," Qrow cajoled, knowing that I had him by the balls. Nearby, Weiss was simmering, either at Qrow or at me. Or both. "We both know the fight would've happened one way or another. I was just making it more of a spectacle if anything…and hey, Tai and I made sure to clear the area a bit so no one would get hurt…"

"And I'm _so_ glad that licensed Huntsmen were enjoying the prospect of watching the stuffing get beat out of me." A majority of the eyes in the room were pointedly glaring at Qrow and Tai, while Vernal was strangely preening at my comment. "Speaking of which, what exactly is Vernal doing here? It's a bit of a ways from home."

"We'd be happy to _send her back_," Nora muttered darkly, her and Ren both appearing to remember the last encounter they'd had with her.

"Actually…Vernal is a…friend of the family, and she'll be staying on Patch with me for a while." Tai clapped his hands on a very surprised Vernal's shoulders. The smile slowly slid off his face. "Erm…you were told about that bit, right?"

"Absolutely…" Vernal was a terrible liar, it appeared. Luckily though, the cavalry rode in to smooth things over.

"OhmygodthisisamazingIcantwaitforyoutoseeourhousewaithaveyouseenityet…" Ruby's word babble had everyone laughing, and it appeared that Vernal's 'stay' wouldn't cause any issues. In the meantime however, I proceeded to drag Qrow over to the side.

"Would someone, namely _you_, explain exactly what the hell's going on here? Fine, I apparently helped you get with Winter, somehow, and fine, I played a part in having your sister come back to her family. But _how_ exactly, does any of that relate to why Vernal is _here_, and not in Mistral?" Though this was far from the worst change that could've occurred, the fact of the matter is that I had little to no understanding of what events had lead to this particular shift.

Qrow winced, running a hand through his feather-like hair. "That's a bit of a tough one to explain-"

"_Give it your best shot_."

"-but I figure you should probably get that much, for all the, you know, attempted stabbing. The short of it is that firstly, Vernal had a bone to pick with you anyway ever since you apparently handed her ass to her years back in front of the whole tribe. Now, I'll be the first to congratulate you for that, but I'll also be the first to tell you, from experience, that Branwen Tribe women are _nuts_. Case in point, my sister."

"CAWW!"

"…Anyways, a grudge match was a long time coming, but could've been staved off, what with Vernal having a hand in Raven's new business and you being a continent away an' all. Therein lies the second head of the Taijitu though; Raven. Seem's her reunion with Yang an' Tai did a little more to her than she's let on, cause she's gung-ho about giving Vernal a chance to experience the 'soft life'. So for the time being, she'll be staying with Tai on Patch and help out with some of the Grimm extermination, experience a life outside of the tribe."

"…And you thought the best way to integrate Vernal into a normal life was to have her fight a Beacon student _on_ Beacon grounds?"

"…"

"…"

"…Look, like I said, Branwen's have a different way of handling things. That includes Raven, Vernal, and apparently me. Well, it's not like you look any worse for the wear."

My fingers twitched towards Luna and Corona. "Except for the part where my visits to Vale are regulated for the time being and my spars will be dictated by Goodwitch instead of the randomizer, you mean?"

Qrow did a double take. "Shit, really? Damn, you have a way with women, don't you?"

My deadpan would've made Goodwitch proud. "As in, pissing all of them off?"

Qrow rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath. "Oblivious…sure, let's go with that. Can't say I'm surprised though, you were bound to catch her wrath eventually. The fact that you stand out doesn't help things."

I gawked at him. "Stand out? Qrow, I'm dressed in black _specifically_ to not draw attention to myself!"

"Hehe…hahahahaha!" Qrow bent over and wheezed. "Oh…kid, you've got it backwards. Sure, if you were a criminal, or military maybe, you wouldn't look too out of place. Here though? In the middle of a Huntsmen academy, packed to the gills with hyperactive, colorful teenagers? Someone dressed in all black sticks out like a sore thumb here, not to mention you carry enough weapons for two huntsmen. Doing great on the surviving part, not so great on being a conventional huntsman."

"Haaaaaaaah…You know what, screw it. Just throw me a bigger heads-up next time you throw something my way."

"Heh…no promises…"

… … …

The week passed by in a mostly sleepless blur, mostly due to the realization that the semester's break was fast approaching, and that whatever plan Cinder had newly cooked up would likely come into play soon. However, nights of sneaking past my team to plan in corners of the library had been fruitless, and I couldn't reach out to Junior by scroll, or tell the twins about it. So I ended up having little of an idea of what Cinder might be planning, save for the fact that it might involve the SDC dust freighter, but even that was tenuous. To help matters, a certain goddess' reminders weren't helping.

"You know, for a guy who loves planning things ahead of time, you're pretty bad at dealing with not knowing what comes next." Prim lounged with her back pressed against the wall of the fire escape, conveniently basking in the shadows provided. "Though, I _am_ impressed that you're able to operate on such little sleep."

"Clearly, you haven't been to graduate school," I growled, rubbing some of the sand out of my eyes. Though even my ingrained ability gained from all-nighters of studying couldn't stave off inevitable sleep deprivation. "Couldn't your all-powerful skirted ass just give me some sort of hint? Kind of trying to keep an entire kingdom out of Cinder's clutches here."

"I've already given you hints before, not that they stuck, given how Junior Xiong got the drop on you. I can imagine the expression on your face if Cinder and hers do the same." Prim's face scrunched up in mock concentration for a second, ignoring my twitching fingers and gritted teeth. "Hmm, now that I think about it, that doesn't sound _that_ fun. Fine, I'll say _one_ thing, but again, I can only give you so much help before the brothers get pouty and rant about things like 'interference.' What I'll say, is that you're still relying on the events of the show, when you should be considering the present."

Near-anyone could've seen the cogs running in my head. "But…the events that happen now are _entirely_ based on the things that came before. If I can't use show as a reference, how am I supposed to outplan Cinder?"

Prim sighed, rising to her feet and re-aligning her electric blue hair. "I told you that you weren't listening. One way or another though, either you or _someone else_ will smack the lesson into you. Hopefully it reaches you in time though." I blinked, and the goddess was gone once more, letting me groan in open frustration. As I did, my scroll rang out once, but before I could check, Ilia appeared in the rooftop doorway.

"Figured I might find you up here. Y'know, we joke about you being broody and edgy, but you've been spending a lot more time all by your lonesome lately." Ilia's eyes searched my face, noting the more pronounced shadows under my eyes. "Everything alright? We wouldn't want you to be in subpar shape for Sparring Class after all."

"I'll be fine." I shrugged off my partner's concern, walking forward to rest a hand reassuringly on her shoulder. "Let's get going, I shudder to think of what'll happen if we keep Goodwitch waiting." As I began descending the stairs, I pulled out my scroll and found a singular text by Prim.

_Good luck._

… … …

'Never let it be said that Glynda Goodwitch can't be dramatic…' It had taken a full six days since Ozpin had handed the expanded directives to Goodwitch, but I hadn't been called for a single spar in her class. Until now.

"Kouzai Higure, against Cardin Winchester. Will both students make their way to the arena, with _all_ armaments." Various pairs of eyes swung to me at her last point.

"It's about time!" Melanie exclaimed.

"Fight well," Miltia smiled.

"Kick his ass for me." Ilia was baring a few too many teeth. JNPR was on the 'smash Cardin' bandwagon as well, with even some of RWBY joining as well.

As I made my way over to the locker room, I saw Cardin strapping on the rest of his armor as he saw me and sneered. "Guess everyone's gonna find out who's really stronger. No little tricks, no teammates to hide behind."

I sighed, making my way over to my locker. "Cardin, can we just skip the banter and focus on the fight? I'm not in the mood for the games."

If Cardin heard me, he steadfastly ignored my request. "As the only guy on a team full of girls, it's even more pathetic that you're letting them rope you around. I mean, if you were shacking up with any of them, _maybe_ you could explain why you're so whipped-"

"Cardin, _enough-_"

"I mean, they look kind of trashy, but damn if you haven't had a twins fantasy about-"

BANG

Cardin _finally_ stopped talking, looking my way and glimpsing me in full gear. I removed my hand from the locker I'd just slammed shut and made my way past him towards the arena.

"If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get."

**A/N: Not my best work, but these are trying times, and that's while I'm still healthy. Hopefully next week looks better, in all aspects. Stay safe and healthy, all. I'll see everyone next week.**

**-SE**


	31. Chapter 28: Bite Off More

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Alright, back on the grind, just a tad late. Somehow, likely in the mess surrounding me last week, I missed the fact that this story hit the milestones of 200K words, 300 favorites and 400 followers. Never should it be said that I take things for granted, so a huge thank you to all the readers that have given this a chance, and for aiding in the little victories where I can get them. Also, somehow I neglected to address the reviews from the previous chapter, so they'll once again be at the bottom of the chapter. Thanks again, and happy reading going into Easter!**

Chapter 28: Bite Off More

Chapter Date: 04/06/2020

I shouldn't have been feeling this irritated from Cardin's weak insults. Maybe it was the lack of sleep getting to me, or what Prim had said earlier, or even that I'd mentally had enough of Cardin. In any event, if I was being instructed to cut loose, more fool them.

I strode out of the locker room ahead of Cardin, stepping out into the arena and drawing Goodwitch's attention. "Mr. Higure, before we begin, I would like to remind-" Goodwitch paused as I drew both Luna and Corona. With Mirror's Edge on my back and Mortem worn on my hand, it was obvious that I had all my weapons on me this time. "Very well. Please take your position and we will begin once Mr. Winchester does the same."

"WHOOOOO, GO KOUZAI!" Nora's telltale cheering carried down quite clearly from the stands, joined by the rest of JNPR and KMMI. After a glare over to his teammates, CRDL proceeded to do the same for Cardin as he pulled out the Executioner and took a stance.

"Fighters, are you ready?" Goodwitch looked at Cardin and I.

"Oh, I've been waiting for this," Cardin growled. Sighing, Goodwitch turned to me, my only response being to ready my weapons.

"The fight will begin in three…"

I hadn't pulled this trick since the Beringel in Shion.

"Two…"

But I suppose Cardin would have to do.

"One…"

Channeling my Aura, I focused on using Chronometry and Burst simultaneously, while lowering the opaqueness of my shades.

"Begin!"

I rocketed forward thanks to Burst, closing in on Cardin at what I perceived to be normal speeds. Swinging Mirror's Edge in a full arc, Cardin's eyes widened deliciously slow before raising the Executioner to protect his body. My blade slammed into the mace, driving the weapon into his arm and knocking him back. His mouth was open and starting to form words, but I didn't have the focus or motivation to wait.

Splitting Mirror's Edge in two, I spun around to Cardin's back and slashed downwards across his back, watching his Aura flash as Cardin spasmed in pain.

'Not yet…' I threw one of my longswords into the air as Cardin was turning, forcing him to abort his feral swing. Looking down, his eyes widened as he stared down Corona's barrel.

BANG

With Lightning Dust arcing down from his face, Cardin could only watch as I leapt up into the air, grabbing my other longsword and reforming Mirror's Edge. Spinning down, I flipped once, twice, before cleaving down towards Cardin. Self-preservation had him interspersing the Executioner in front of his face, cushioning the force of the blow as he was forced down to one knee, the ground cracking. Cardin refocused his vision in time to catch my steel-toed boot with his face, his head whipping to the side as I planted Mirror's Edge into the ground. Holding onto my weapon with one hand while the other yanked the Executioner out of Cardin's loosened grip, I spun around and hurled Cardin's weapon towards the barrier and out of the arena. Already in motion again, I grabbed Mirror's Edge and split the weapon in two once more as I closed in on Cardin, letting out my breath in a hiss as I began the familiar pattern.

Slash to the collarbone. Slam ribs and liver. Block haymaker.

'This is your just desserts.'

Blow to the face. Ruin pauldron and traumatize shoulder. Slash back to cause arching.

'But I'd be lying…'

Heel kick to face. Stomp onto chest. Rotating slashes towards neck.

'If I said I wouldn't enjoy it.'

Mirror's Edge stopped millimeters before Cardin's neck, trapping him on the ground in a neck stockade of blades. On his back, his eyes widened as I pulled out Corona again and aimed it at his face.

BANG

BANG

BANG

"ENOUGH!" I couldn't so much as twitch my trigger finger for a fourth shot, my figure outlined in familiar lavender Aura. Swiveling my eyes up and to the side, I caught sight of Goodwitch's glare on full display, though the impact was marred with an element of apprehension. "The match is over, Mr. Higure…" As Goodwitch released her Telekinesis, I glanced down dispassionately at Cardin's writhing form, unable to even clutch his face out of fear of slicing his Aura against Mirror's Edge. A look up towards the scoreboard.

Cardin Winchester: 8%

Kouzai Higure: 34%

I turned and gestured at Goodwitch. "Am I allowed to get my weapon, or will I be prevented from doing that too?" Goodwitch took one heaving breath, her nostrils flaring as she waved outward in consent. Nodding, I stepped over to Cardin and planted one foot beside his head, before ripping Mirror's Edge from the ground. As I reformed the blade, I bent down to inspect the battered redhead.

"Mess with anyone close to me, scratch that, _anyone_, again, and trust that I'll do worse." I straightened and walked towards Goodwitch for my critique. However, the sparring professor seemed at a loss for words.

"Mr. Higure…what manner of technique did you use?" Goodwitch grasped instead at the drastic increase in speed, strength and perception I'd displayed.

"An active use of my semblance, along with a simple physical-enhancement Aura technique. The eyes to see what's coming _and_ the physicality to react to it." I tapped my shades before glancing up at the scoreboard. "Although, it's still a flawed strategy, using my Aura for multiple things at once. Any longer than half a minute and I technically would've been the one to lose by Aura knockout. Now, if there aren't any other questions, I've got some exerted muscles that I should prevent from pulling themselves."

Turning to head back to the locker room, I stopped as Goodwitch indeed had one more question. "Why all the ferocity? Your strategy required expediency to be sure, but there were other ways of victory, especially with Mr. Winchester lacking his weapon. But trapping him in some form of guillotine? Repeated shots to the face? What purpose did that serve?"

I looked back at Goodwitch, who seemed to have collected herself. Her inquiry appeared to come from a place of introspection rather than blame. I pointed at Cardin trying to get off the ground. "You wanted me to use my weapons, so I did. You wanted me to use my 'full potential', so I did. In a real fight, the goal is to claim victory as fast as possible. Capitalizing on your opponent's weaknesses? Demoralizing their will to fight? Securing multiple win conditions? It's what will be expected once we graduate from Beacon, so please don't question me for employing such tactics here, professor." With that, I walked into the locker room, my headache still pounding away.

… … …

"That. Was. AMAZING!" Melanie busted our poor door open and twirled into the room, a gleeful smile on her face. "I knew you weren't at your best fighting Mil and I while your eyes were closed, but damn, you absolutely _demolished_ Cardin. He'll be feeling that asskicking for weeks!"

"Your Aura control was impressive, certainly, but your swordsmanship also looked practiced. I see some similarities in the moves you use compared with those of Yatsuhashi, which makes sense given the size of both your weapons." Miltia paused, then snapped her eyes open as she realized what she'd said.

"O-ho? And how would my dear younger sister know what Yatsuhashi's 'moves' look like, hmm?" Melanie stalked closer to her increasingly flustered twin, smelling the proverbial blood in the water. "Is that where you've been disappearing off to these past few weeks? Looking to snag tall, built and quiet?"

"N-No! I went to ask him some questions about some of our classes, nothing more than that!" The Malachite trademark wit exerted itself as Miltia pointed a finger back at Melanie. "And at least _I've_ got a real reason to talk to Yatsuhashi, considering that he and Velvet carry CFVY through their classes. You, on the other hand, have been getting quite _cozy_ with Fox. So what's _your_ excuse?"

"…I wanted to get some tips from him on kicking techniques, that's all." Melanie would've done an admirable job of playing it cool, if it weren't for the crimson blush on her pale skin. "Errr…you're just annoyed that you can talk to a boy to save your life!"

As the twins began another of their renowned arguments, my head throbbed again and I clutched my forehead. "GRRR…what the hell's the matter? I'm already away from Cardin and his inane chatter, so what's the problem? Sleep? Nah, I've been fine all week. Maybe a walk wouldn't hurt though…'

"I'll be stepping out to Vale for a while, need to clear my head," I announced to the room at large, though the twins seemed engrossed on nitpicking over each other's potential heartthrobs. I checked to make sure that I had Luna on me at the very least, as Goodwitch seemed quite insistent on having me put Mirror's Edge and Corona into my locker. A sideways glanced showed Ilia sidling up to me.

"Something the matter? You seem both lost in thought and pained to be thinking at all." Pale blue eyes appeared disarmingly earnest as they searched my face. "Also, your spar with Cardin seemed uncharacteristically…raw for you. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed you beating Cardin likely more than anyone one else in our class, but-"

"It's alright Ilia, I'm fine," I attempted to reassure my partner. "The spar was just to show Goodwitch that I have the chops to stick with the best of them, and that sparring _can_ be used to try new techniques, and not just hone your one style. I'm just feeling…cooped up, for lack of a better term, so I figured the city proper would do me some good, honest."

Ilia stared for a moment, before smiling. "Alright, just checking on my partner's wellbeing. Don't stay out too long though, or Goodwitch might have all our heads. Oh, and congrats on _finally_ making the top ten in class. It's tough, but I'm sure you'll be fine." The chameleon Faunus smirked and patted me on the back.

"Yeah yeah, don't be smug now." I ducked under Ilia's arm and reached the door. "Don't wait up for me now!"

Reaching the bullhead to Vale in short order, I sat down in the seat and lounged back, soaking in the temporary atmosphere of being by my lonesome. As the doors began to raise, however, a shout broke the relative silence.

"Please wait!"

I opened my eyes at the distinctive accent, then motioned for the pilot to open the doors once more. As they did, the tops of two bunny ears came into view before the figure of Velvet stepped onto the ramp and into the seating area. Looking around for a moment, her eyes landed on me and she approached. Dressed in a cream sweater and brown skirt, the second-year cut a striking figure in her casual wear.

My tired synapses began firing again. "Hey Velvet, good to see you. Is there a reason why you had to dash for the Bullhead? I thought second-year classes ended at 5."

"They did, but I was preoccupied by my team's antics." A raised eyebrow was enough to coax the answer out of her. "Basically, Fox and Yatsu were bickering over something right ridiculous while Coco insisted I couldn't step into Vale without 'looking every inch the sweetheart that I am.'"

"Hmm, I'm glad that my team doesn't have a fashion diva on it. Well, I've got two actually, but both insist their regular outfits are 'peak energy' already. As for Ilia, she's with me in the school of 'utility over decoration.'" I glanced over at Velvet. "So, any particular reason for a Friday excursion into Vale? Moonlighting as a secret party girl, perhaps?"

A solid thud to my arm was response enough. "I actually need to refill on Hard-Light Dust for Anisedora. I've been working on some modifications to let the copies last a bit longer, but Hard-Light Dust is quite inefficient."

"Tell me about it." Over the past few weeks, Velvet and I had made time to meet and discuss some of the finer points of Dust chemistry, specifically Hard-Light Dust. Admittedly, she was better at it than I was, and after swearing her to secrecy, showed her Mortem and how the gauntlet worked. After a few hours with it, Velvet was able to point out some circuitry changes I could make to have the Dust crystals last longer. With any luck, I'd be able to modify Mortem and gain enough control to create other objects with the Hard-Light Dust. The idea then struck me. "Truth be told, I was just planning to wander Vale for a few hours and relax before heading back to Beacon. If something like that is in your timeframe, I could accompany you, considering that I should probably stock up on Hard-Light Dust too."

"Hmm, I don't see why not. Better to get what we can now before the prices rise again from all the Dust robberies." I fixed my smile in place before it could vanish at mention of the robberies, as Velvet smiled in return. "After all, it'd be good to give my junior some tips on the best Dust spots around Vale."

"Why Ms. Scarlatina, you're too kind."

… … …

"-And I stood there, holding a copy of Fulcrum, and told Yatsu 'Don't worry, I'll protect you.' Oh, you should've seen the look on his face!" Velvet covered her mouth as she laughed with mirth, while I pictured the scene from her initiation that she was describing. Considering Yatsuhashi's normally unflappable nature, kind of like Ren, it was a pleasant thought to imagine them dumbfounded…for the right reasons, of course.

Velvet and I had traipsed all up and down through Vale, visiting some of the hidden highlight spots that she'd acquired through a year's experience with the city…well, a year's experience with _eyesight_. After refilling our stores of Hard-Light Dust, Velvet had shown me to a small bistro, where I was reminded that Faunus diets _did not_ have to correspond to their animal compatriots. After watching Velvet somehow daintily _devour_ a sizeable steak, we continued off to a herbal store, where Velvet picked up some tea leaves for Yatsuhashi. Now, we were beginning our return trip back to Beacon amidst the setting sun.

"I wish my initiation was as fun, or at least half as smooth as yours," I groaned, remembering the feeling of shoving my arm into the Ursa Superior's mouth to use Chronometry. "So much arguing…so much running…so much Grimm blood…"

"That's right, your team, and Jaune and Ruby's all had quite the mixup towards the end there." Velvet smiled knowingly at me. "Given all the missed context between you twelve, half the second-years were considering placing a betting pool on who'd be getting with who in your teams."

"Well, assuming that anyone with eyes was able to see that Jaune and Pyrrha are as close as Nora and Ren are, which is to say glued together, I'm suddenly _very_ worried about this betting pool." A fearful glance towards Velvet had her still smirking. "Please, _please_ tell me you and CFVY didn't buy into any of that nonsense? I mean, initiation alone should've shown that all of RWBY would get in line to shoot me, and the twins are more like annoying siblings to me than potential squeezes."

"That still leaves your wonderful partner," Velvet teased. "And on top of that, Ruby Rose clearly doesn't have anything against you now, so-"

"Any attempt to start a relationship with her would have me utterly annihilated by Yang, Tai and Qrow. Also, if you haven't noticed yet, my partner and I are distinctly _not_ into one another," I replied flatly, before squinting at my travelling companion. "That doesn't answer my question though. Did any of you end up participating in that ridiculousness?"

"As it so happens, Fox and Yatsu were distracted by other things going on during initiation to have an opinion when it came to you, and Coco was persuaded against betting, since we all knew she'd be motivated to tip things in one direction or another."

"And you?"

"Who do you think was the one that persuaded Coco not to join in?"

We turned a corner, squinting slightly as the sun's setting rays shined outwards. Not distracted, I asked Velvet, "And what was your reason for not joining in? It's a bit late to fake that you don't enjoy a little chaos yourself."

Velvet sped ahead a little, turning around to face me with another smirk on her face. "Let's just say that I might've been a little conflicted about it." Walking backwards, she paused as her scroll slipped out of her hands and clattered on the ground. "Whoops, I'm glad Huntsmen scrolls are-"

CRAACK

With a sound of shattering glass, a silvery form blurred over Velvet's kneeling form, passing over her ears and landing between us. Even against the light of the sun I had no trouble telling who this was, given that I'd spent hours alone training myself to recognize them on sight, even out of a crowd.

'Mercury…' I unsheathed Luna and removed my shades immediately, before sprinting towards the assassin. Mercury merely smirked and readied his cybernetic legs.

"KOUZAI!" Velvet pointed behind me, and I instinctively used Chronometry's active effect to glance behind me, in time to see a pointed parasol stabbing straight for my back. Whirling around, I used Burst and parried the blade, before jumping to the side and off the wall to avoid shots from Talaria. Landing past Mercury, I grabbed Velvet and yanked her to me, activating Mortem just as Neo stabbed Hush towards my back again, scraping against the hexagonal barrier. "Wha-what's going-"

"No time to explain." Slipping my shades back on, I focused my Aura towards Mortem as I kept Velvet and I angled sideways to the two assassins.

I had no idea as to why _Mercury and Neo_ were here, but no of the explanations were good. More importantly…"We have a slim chance of beating these two without our weapons. No-DON'T call your weapons locker, it won't make it in time." I resigned myself to doing what I had to.

Grabbing Velvet's hand with my own, I pressed her palm to the Dust crystal embedded in Mortem, keeping the flow of Aura going as bullets and blades slammed against the barrier. "Take this, keep using it, and get back to Beacon. I'll-"

"_NO, I'm not leaving you here_!" Velvet exclaimed forcefully, but I cut her off.

"_Listen_. Get back to Beacon and find team RWBY. Tell them what happened, and tell Yang-GHH-to get Qrow and Zwei. Find Fox too, and my team too if you can. Qrow will know what to do." I smiled, despite the situation. "It's just bad luck that I'm not in peak shape right now, but they won't kill me. If they were aiming to they would've tried sniping me. Now, _get ready_."

Slowly, I removed Mortem off my hand, and thankfully Velvet kept the flow of Aura going to maintain the barrier. Mercury and Neo had ceased their attempts to break past the Dust barrier, and were looking on amusedly. As Velvet put Mortem on, she stared fearfully at me, but I continued smiling until I turned to the assassins, holding Luna at the ready. 'This is gonna suck…'

"_GO_!" Dropping the barrier for a moment, Velvet rocketed away and her footfalls faded, but I kept my eyes on the lethal fighters in front of me.

"Pretty cocky of you to assume we were after you, instead of the Faunus chick," Mercury commented offhandedly.

"Well, I've had the pleasure of coming across _this one_ before, so I'm _assuming_ that's what this is about." A gesture to Neo had her waving cheekily. "I'm touched that you decided that you both were required to handle me."

Neo's smirk vanished and she levelled Hush menacingly, before Mercury raised an arm out. "Let's just say that some of the people we know like covering their bases. Now, I hate to cut witty banter short, but you'll be coming with us now."

A quick internal check of my Aura level put me at about two-thirds, with just one weapon and some abandoned bags of merchandise. Reaching down slowly within view of the two, I slipped my hand into one of the bags and came out with…a handful of tea leaves. Neo smirked again as Mercury added, "You know, when I said we should put a stopper on the banter, I didn't mean you should switch to practical jokes instead."

I sighed, pocketing the leaves and wiping the residue across my hands. "You like to hear jokes? Here's one then. A midget, a rooster in a tracksuit, and an edgelord get into a fight."

Lowering the opacity of my shades, I focused, feeling the flow of my own Aura as I channeled it towards Chronometry.

"I wonder who comes out on top."

**A/N: Ahh, some asskicking was a long time coming, wasn't it? Kouzai, for all his restraint and emotional control, is quite capable of bringing his irritation and rage to bear, whether he should or not. Also, before we get to reviews, I just wanted to say thanks to those who were concerned about my wellbeing during the past couple weeks. It's a stressful time for many right now, but I'm touched that there are some concerned enough to check in. Thankfully I'm still doing peachy, and hoping that holds up in the coming weeks.**

**HoldMyFOOF: Honestly, given Raven's established personality traits in canon, such as sneaking into Beacon as a raven and spying on her daughter and other activities, that wouldn't be too far off. Woe befall anyone who earns Raven Branwen's interest though.**

**AlexFalTon: Kernal is not the worst ship name I've ever heard, but it could use some workshopping. And Qrow ever adopted Kouzai, I firmly believe that their combined sarcasm would be capable of driving even the Grimm nuts. As for one-liners, I think they have great value when used in moderation. After all, a trope only becomes a trope after frequent and popular use.**

**Raidentensho: Well, the good news is that at some point information in this story will reach that of canon. The other good news is that there's a lot of interesting progression that can occur before that point. And you're a little off on who Mercury bumped into there. Oh, and attire changes come with the volume, so I'm sure something's in the works.**

**Gizmo Gear: You're definitely on the right track as always, but not **_**all**_** of the events here are solely of Kouzai's making. At least, he hopes not.**

**Dante Sparda: It's true that having a protagonist be weaker than most of the main characters may not make for interesting reading. The contrast here, is that there's various types of strength, and Kouzai happens to be in the tree of 'knowing is half the battle.' The other thing is that the opponents that he's fought have mostly been far above his level, including Raven and Adam. Sure, he might lose out when it comes to people like Pyrrha and Nora, but he's also been shown to have beaten Blake and Ren, among others. It's just a matter of ranking, which is commonly known to be notoriously unreliable.**

**Oblivious IJ: …I…I'm not even sure where that came from, but ok…glad I could produce enough hype to inspire you to put that out. Hope it lived up to the hype.**

**PyromaniacRabbit: After reading all the articles on the hits that Corona beer has taken just because of the name leads me to believe that the general populace is done as nails when it comes to fearmongering. As for Chronometry, it's a passive semblance, which means it's always active to a certain degree, but channeling Aura into it causes the effect to magnify, kind of like how Qrow can intentionally and unintentionally use Misfortune.**

**Dased22: There's a joke somewhere in there about Kouzai's bad luck, but in this case one can chalk it up to more of Ozpin's ulterior motives more than anything else.**

**Jack: I actually tried describing Ted off a certain ex-doctor from the Borderlands series, a Doctor Zed to be precise. You're the first person to actually ask, so I'm not sure if the impression was nailed or not.**

**Guest: Ren's speech does sound a little sophisticated for his age, but I'm operating under the belief that his emotional control, along with four stressful years of looking after himself and Nora, lead to intellectual growth allowing for such things.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 04/13/2020**


	32. Chapter 29: Make An Omelet

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Happy Easter Monday to those that celebrate it. This week is shaping up to be tougher than the last few, so hopefully everyone else out there is doing alright in this situation.**

Chapter 29: Make An Omelet

Chapter Date: 04/13/2020

This was bad.

CLANG

_Very_ bad.

THUD. "GUH!"

I was up against two master assassins, so things were going as one might expect.

TSING

I was losing…

BANG. "KAH!"

…_Badly_.

'_Come on_, keep your eyes on them!' With Chronometry going at full power, I was maximizing the amount of time I had to react to Mercury and Neo coming at me. 'Alright, decide your win condition.' I sidestepped a shot from Talaria before bringing Luna up to deflect Hush. Upon contact with the parasol, Neo's image shattered before me and I rolled to duck under Neo's real weapon. I didn't even have time to stand up before Talaria was swinging towards me, and I brought my armored arm up to block the blow. The metal leg still carried enough momentum to slam me into a wall at the edge of the backlot we were in.

'I won't be able to beat them, not as I am now. So my options are either to escape, or hold out as long as possible.' An eye over towards Neo saw her smirking as she brandished Hush. 'No, I won't be able to get away with Neo's Overactive Imagination active. I'm set to lose this fight, but it'll be up to me to decide how long that takes.' I leaned against the wall, taking in and shouldering the inevitability of it.

"What's wrong, tapping out already? And after all your trash talk on who'd be winning this fight?" Mercury was smirking as well, his expression far more self-satisfied than Neo's. "After what Roman and Neo here told us about your combat ability, I was expecting more of a challenge."

'Keep them talking, run through their weaknesses.' Despite myself, I grinned back at the two enforcers. "So the pretty girl's name is Neo. Always nice to meet a fan, and I wasn't sure about her name until now." Neo narrowed her eyes and whacked Mercury with Hush, eliciting a cry of pain from Mercury.

'Mercury; close-range specialist, with cybernetic legs and some level of Dust proficiency for his Wind Dust projectiles.' I gestured over to Mercury's pants. "Y'know, your legs pack far too much oomph to not be at least armored, not to mention that they reverberate like metal. I'd imagine that you're sweating up a storm under those sweatpants of yours." To my satisfaction and horror, Mercury's jaw tightened at my diagnosis and jab at his legs.

'Neo; acrobatics-and-agility type, capable of redirecting force and a master with her parasol.' Now I focused on the trichromatic fighter. "Unfortunate that we keep meeting in these circumstances, Neo. Normally I'd love to have a chat with one such as yourself, but it doesn't seem like now's the time for it. Speaking of which, where's Roman, anyhow? You two were the ones present during the Dust robbery last time we met." Neo grinned savagely, and I could tell there wasn't any upside to what that smile meant, beyond the fact that her attention was definitely on me now.

"Torchwick is off doing other things, and the job of beating down our little hostage fell to the more skilled fighters, like Neo and I here." Mercury nodded to Neo as he kept talking. "Though, given your lukewarm performance so far, it doesn't even look like two of us were necessary. The famed tutelage of Beacon Academy doesn't look like all it's cracked up to be."

"Hey, don't knock it till you try it," I cajoled, grasping my shades and slipping them on. "It's too bad about Torchwick though. I had a few questions on those Dust robberies that were just itching to get answered."

"You can try asking him yourself if you've got the strength for it, after we're done with you." Mercury readied his fighting stance and Neo levelled Hush at me.

I took a deep breath, and closed my eyes as I focused on my Aura. True to form, Mercury's silver Aura highlighted his form, along with the pink outline of Neo's-'WAIT!' Whirling around, I looked towards the side where a second pink form was speeding towards my side with Hush stabbing outward. Swinging my arm outward, I knocked Hush away and lashed out with Luna, slashing solidly with the knife before the illusionist managed to recover and launch herself off the wall and back towards Mercury. Opening my eyes, I watched the Neo next to Mercury shatter into glass as the real Neo backed away from me.

'Weakness 1 for Neo: Overactive Imagination entails physical illusions created through Aura. Ergo, if I can _see_ Aura, I'll know where you really are.' Really, the ability to counter illusions was the main reason why I'd trained towards achieving Aura vision, with the ability to otherwise perceive the environment in real-time being a fringe benefit.

"How did you-" Mercury spluttered, looking between Neo and I before finding his composure. "It doesn't matter. It'll be just one more question that we squeeze out of you once we're through with you. Neo! Time to quit playing around."

Neo rolled her eyes but nodded, her usual smirk lost as she eyed me with an air of questioning, as if trying to put together a puzzle. Whatever she saw, it caused her eyes to light up in glee, and I sighed.

'This is gonna suck.' Both fighters charged forward, and I kept my eyes shut on as they closed in, waiting. The silver and pink outlines of their Auras gave me their exact position as Mercury slid in for a kick before his windup was interrupted by a left arm block. From the right, I managed to divert another stab from Hush as Neo appeared to be forgoing-

THWACK

I stumbled back despite myself, clutching the bridge of my nose from where Hush had smacked into it. Eyes watering, I maintained focus even as Mercury pivoted and leapt off the ground, rapidly front-kicking against my guard. As I tried counterattacking with Luna, the assassin dropped down and drove his boot into my side, knocking me sideways before I managed to recover.

'Sonofa…' I clutched my throbbing ribs and opened my eyes again, taking in Mercury and Neo regrouping. 'Figures they'd find out; I can see through Neo's illusions thanks to my Aura sensing, but it takes me having my eyes closed, which means no Chronometry. So I can either see through illusions but get summarily beaten down, or rely on Chronometry and get death by a thousand cuts…or kicks.'

This time Mercury came first, flipping over in a full axe heel kick aimed for my skull. Applying a factor of Burst, I guarded up above and crouched to cushion the blow. As I did, I reached out and grabbed Mercury's boot before he could kick off me.

'There's no competition really…if there's one thing I've relied on, it's my endurance.' Stomping down, I squeezed as hard as I could and threw Mercury at the stationary Neo across from me. Flipping backwards, the martial artist crashed through Neo's illusion and landed on his feet, smirking as I took a slash across the back from the real Neo. As I kicked outwards, Neo somersaulted away and posed with Hush across her shoulders, also pleased with herself.

'Forget about winning and losing; forget about pride and pain.' Behind my shades, I focused in on Talaria, noting the bent heel. 'Focus.'

I knew I couldn't last long without going on the offensive, and so I charged towards Mercury, counting on the lax pose he took against me. Sliding into my southpaw stance, I knew he'd been trained for such cases, and brought up his elbow to divert my jab. As he did, I snapped my wrist and nailed his jaw from the side. Following up with a straight to the body, Mercury jumped away but I swung the punch into an uppercut to the jaw again. Lashing out with a blind kick, I caught his leg with my left arm and aimed with my right. I could _feel_ Neo lancing out with Hush again, but I steeled myself.

'Let them cut your flesh so you may crush their bones.' Taking a stab from Hush to the shoulder, I gritted my teeth and stabbed Luna into Talaria's other boot, seeing a satisfying sparking sound as I was kicked away by Neo. Rolling over a couple times, I pulled myself up and got the satisfaction of watching Mercury's self-confident expression darken.

"Y'know, taking a knife to the foot is apparently supposed to hurt," I commented, bracing myself as Mercury kicked out to trigger Talaria's guns. A series of clicks resounded out, and Mercury examined his weapons in disbelief. 'Weakness 1 for Mercury; no long-range capabilities without Talaria. That means no storm of Dust projectiles.'

"You little shit…I might've made things easier on you, but you want a beating up close and personal? Fine." Mercury stomped his foot down, and the ground cracked from its force. The servos still seemed to be working perfectly.

I silently focused on my Aura in response. 'Down to less than a third, and only a weakened Talaria to show for it.' I gripped Luna tighter, and concentrated on the knife's effects. 'With what I have left…maybe…' Turning towards Neo, I dashed towards her as she readied Hush in amusement and beckoned with a finger.

Closing my eyes, I sped into her range as Mercury approached from behind. Punching out with my left arm, Neo opened her parasol to deflect my blow and stabbed outwards. Opening my eyes, I turned to avoid the blade and struck Hush with Luna while rotating to face Mercury. With my eyes open, I managed to guard with my arm as the force pushed me back into Neo's own kick.

'Godsdamnit…_heels_…' I hissed as I spun around, having the two opponents in my vision again. 'Well…already invested in the plan…' This time, Mercury and Neo were the ones to move, and I closed my eyes despite the fear. With both Aura's approaching fast, this time two more figures wreathed in pink were in front of Mercury and Neo, while the real Neo jumped up and launched herself off one of Mercury's kicks. Clenching my teeth, I focused on the real fighters approaching, and as the illusions lashed out and shattered on impact, I ducked under Mercury's tornado kick before spinning around him and grabbing Hush as Neo dove down.

"HIDE THIS!" I swung down with an Aura-infused Luna, and the bladed tip of Hush was sheared off the parasol.

THUD

I went sprawling as Mercury's full kick landed against my other side, and I felt my Aura shatter on hard contact with the ground. Snapping my eyes open, I hauled myself to my feet and watched Neo's incredulous expression, holding up Hush to eye its broken blade. Narrowed eyes of pink and brown swung up to glare with hate now.

"Well, seems like the game is up. You've had a good run, but you're done now." Mercury on the other hand appeared to have composed himself, especially now that my Aura had broken. That composure cracked a little as I brought my arms up, his eyebrows rising as he saw my straining arms. "Seriously? Your Aura's _shattered_. Whatever hit we land on you now is going to be unmitigated. You _still_ wanna continue this? We're not even chasing after the bunny girl, and she's probably long gone by now!"

'But with every second I'm still up delaying their plans…' I chuckled, and grinned as I found the right quote. "…I can do this all day."

Mercury look towards Neo, who noncommittally shrugged before raising Hush again. Mercury rolled his eyes and planted his feet. "Suit yourself then."

Both rocketed forward, and I prioritized Mercury's crushing kicks to guard with my left arm, skidding across the ground without Aura reinforcement. As Neo eschewed using Hush like a blade, she spun around and bashed both ends of the parasol into my stomach and face. As I went reeling, Mercury's heel found my ribs once again.

CRUNCH

I doubled over, but not before forcing Mercury to do the same after I kicked up between his legs. 'Too bad _that's_ not metal too, huh?' Another blow courtesy of Hush sent me down on all fours, and I looked up at a rageful Mercury and inquisitive Neo. One hand was planted on Hush like a cane, while the other was laid out as if to ask, "Anything else?"

"Yeah…just give me a _second_!" I jerked upright despite the shooting pain in my side, whipping my left arm out in a backhand that managed to catch the short acrobat in her own side. With her solid footing though, she didn't slide so much as an inch. Instead, she her gaze turned feral, and she smiled with far too many teeth.

_WHAM_

… … …

I wasn't sure what I became aware of first; my throbbing head, my own wheezing breaths, the piercing pain coming from my ribs, or some combination thereof. I was also bound to a chair with cord and handcuffs. After opening my eyes though, I could tell instantly though that I was in _deep_.

"Interesting technology…I would normally say call such items frivolous, but you don't appear to be the kind of man who engages in excess…"

An asymmetrical red dress with a one long sleeve on the left side. Black pantyhose and a gray glove adorned her right arm and legs, with gold trim decorating her dress and coverings. Two different earrings hung from her ears, one ring-shaped while the other was a black gem. Her eyes also appeared similarly mismatched, with one a vibrant amber...and the other a glowing red.

"I'm glad to see that you've awoken. After all, I have a great many questions that I would like answered, and you seem like the perfect person to help me." Cinder Fall slowly rose from her seat, and as I followed her eyes up, I caught sight of an irate Mercury in the background. I quickly defaulted to my base operating system.

"Well, I can't say that the hospitality has been great so far…or the invitation…or the messengers, but I'd be remiss if I couldn't play a game of twenty questions with one such as yourself." Back to dry humor and witty banter, then.

Cinder slowly stepped out of the shadows, sauntering over in a measured pace. A coy smile stretched across her face. "How generous of you. I suppose I'd like to start by making sure of your identity."

I _very nearly_ flinched at her inquiry, but I knew, _had_ to believe that she didn't know I was the Specter. "I'd be a little concerned if you had your associates kidnap people without confirming their identity first, but I am Kouzai Higure. Do I have the pleasure of asking for a name in return?"

A pleased chuckle left Cinder's mouth. "How very novel, to have an abducted be so…calm in these circumstances. I am Cinder Fall. Now, do you have an understanding as to why you are here?"

"I hadn't given it too much thought yet, on account of the whole 'fighting for my life' situation. But if I had to guess…is it for information on Beacon Academy? Your 'associate' over there was quite verbal about it."

Mercury glared in my direction, but quickly quailed as Cinder's heterochromatic eyes swung around to him, before slowly returning to me. "Chatter from my associates aside, I would say that your answer is slightly off the mark. You see, we're not seeking to use you for information, but rather as a…bargaining chip."

'Then how would I only be…' My eyes widened and my pulse jumped as I caught on, before realizing that Cinder was still watching my every reaction. Working fast, I gasped, "You're after Weiss? Or is it the twins? Because if you're goal is Weiss, I'm sorry to inform you that we're on less than positive terms."

Mercury coughed something that sounded distinctly like 'Idiot!' under his breath, but Cinder appeared more amused than anything else, bringing her hand to her chin. "Again, not quite, but your thought process _is_ interesting. However, we are not seeking the Schnee heiress, nor are we interested in Hei Xiong's wards at the moment. Hmm…I could see that you gave Mercury and Neo some difficulty in acquiring you, despite being outnumbered, outmatched, and at one point having no Aura. Do they instill such determination in the curriculum at Beacon?"

"Nope." My quick answer seemed to surprise Cinder for once. "That's just the will to survive after having grown up outside the kingdoms. That, and a strong memory of what life was like before Aura made things convenient."

"How…interesting. I suppose the lack of such security does lead to stronger mental fortitude. And did such an upbringing allow you to learn techniques like sensing Auras?"

It seemed like that trick was out of the bag. "Let's just say that the Grimm weren't the only danger to my life outside of the walls."

"Quite. With such inclinations, however…such a shame that you chose such a path." Cinder's gaze fell back upon my shades, before coming up to my eyes. "I see that your eyes are silver in color. Tell me, is that a physical trait that you have had since birth?"

'Going for the big ones now, huh?' I gulped despite myself, and Cinder easily noted that. "No, they changed to silver a couple years back after an accident involving too much strain with my Aura, which is silver…is my eye color really so important? Professor Ozpin has asked about it too."

Cinder appeared to jump on my 'slip-up', smiling broadly in response. "Having silver eyes is known to be a…rare, trait to possess. I suppose you may count yourself fortunate that such a trait was unnatural and an accident. Otherwise, we might be having a _very_ different conversation…"

"Oh…one last thing…" Cinder's arm shifted, and as she passed my shades over to her other hand, the long red sleeve of her dress fell back to reveal a darkened, clawed hand wrapped in shadows. Said Grimm hand began reaching outwards. "Thanks to some…recently acquired abilities, I can sense the emotions that individuals around me are feeling. And you, while not outright lying, appear to have something that you're hiding."

I flinched as her arm came close, before her hand gently placed my shades back on my face. "Oh, don't worry, I won't be hurting you. I'll just depart for now, and let you understand the situation a little further. Once I get back, I think I might have some more questions for you, and I do so very hope that you'll be honest with your answers." A thin smile struck fear into me, as her glowing red orb of a left eye seemed to brighten on command. As Cinder stood up and turned to leave, Mercury took her spot across from me as I was left to my thoughts.

'They're using me for _Amber_…gods, this is bad. Forget the cavalry, I need to find my way out before something irreversible happens…'

… … …

DING

Roman paused in his actions, reaching into his pocket to pull out his scroll. "For crying out loud, I _told_ her…huh…oh, that's just _rich_…"

"Care to share?" The gentleman thief turned to view his mint-haired temporary companion.

"A 'please' always helps," Roman commented cheekily. After receiving a glare from Emerald for a few seconds, Roman sighed. "Gods, no sense of humor these days…they found a potential bait, and caught him. Only, it seems like that bait was _a little_ more than either of them bargained for. Both Talaria and Hush are gonna need repairs."

"Are you serious?" Emerald looked like Christmas had come early. "You're telling me that Mercury got his ass handed to him in a two-on-one, _and_ got his legs broken?"

"The blackmail material isn't _that_ good, unfortunately. Their target just happened to be just ballsy enough to go for their weapons, and _just_ tenacious enough to manage the job."

"Still though, you had better believe that Mercury _will not_ be living this one down."

"Oh, I believe it." Roman looked down at his scroll again, noting the picture of the beaten Beacon student along with some of Neo's more _colorful_ language. "I also believe that Neo's got another target on her 'fight' list…eh, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. In the meantime, let's pick up the pace here!"

"Again, I'm the one holding the illusion here," Emerald snapped, bending down to grab entire displays of Dust from her position behind the counter. Beside her, the blissfully unaware owner was conversing with what he believed to be a wealthy patron.

"Yeah, and _I'm_ the one who did the planning, told you what to create, and did the leg work here." Roman gestured to the pile of unconscious employees in a corner of the store. "But it appears that my talents go unappreciated yet again."

"That's _my_ line!"

… … …

"He's still not back yet."

Ilia glanced up at the clock, then back between a concerned Miltia and an unconcerned Melanie.

"He's fine, he said he just needed to take a walk in someplace a little bigger than Beacon." Melanie was sharpening the blades on her boots. "Besides, he _just_ kicked Cardin's ass; I _think_ he's capable of taking care of himself."

"Normally, yes, but he hasn't exactly been acting _normal_ lately. Ilia, what do you think?" The chameleon Faunus turned to look at an expectant Miltia.

"He has been behaving differently lately, with getting less sleep and writing more in those journals he keeps." Miltia looked triumphant as Melanie scoffed. "At the same time though, we all know that people that have lived the sort of double life that this team has tend to act strangely at times. Maybe this is just proof that Kouzai can't be flexible in _all_ circumstances."

Ilia heard a slight commotion going on down the hall, but shrugged it off when she realized it was coming from team RWBY's room. Meanwhile, Miltia was speaking again. "But if he's acting so weird, doesn't that mean what he's doing something that none of us know about?"

"-slow down, Velvet-"

"We may be teammates, but we don't need to know _everything_ that happens with each other." Melanie pointed out. "We're _twins_ and I don't know _everything_ about you."

"-need Qrow and Zwei?"

"Look, we'll just give it a couple more hours and then we can-"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, KIDNAPPED?!"

The room fell silent as Ruby's voice rang out. A second passed. Two. Thr-

BANG

Team KMMI's door nearly fell off it's hinges as Ruby blurred into the room, appearing before Ilia in a burst of rose petals to vigorously shake the Faunus. A glance towards the door revealed a disgruntled and confused Yang, an understanding Weiss, a fearful Blake, a _terrified_ Velvet, and a grim Fox.

"Ruby, what's-"

"It's Kouzai! He's been kidnapped by some crazy people!"

Ilia's heart seized, and she glanced over at an equally worried Miltia and Melanie. The fear threatened to overwhelm her, but she clamped down on it and focused on the task at hand.

She had a call to put in. Her partner's life was on the line.

**A/N: Kind of expected that Kouzai wouldn't be able to beat Mercury **_**and**_** Neo, especially without weapons and full Aura. Still, each loss comes with its own unique sting. At the very least, he accomplished what he set out to do, so there's that at least. We'll see if it was enough. Now for reviews.**

**The Keeper of Worlds: You know, fightmare actually has an interesting ring to it, and definitely fits the description of this fight.**

**Oblivious IJ: Glad you approved of the curb stompage, and this fight could likely qualify too.**

**Kuriboh1233: Well, Velvet did mention that she was conflicted about the betting. As to what exactly that means, that'll have to wait.**

**AlexFalTon: Hopefully I portrayed that realistically, but there have been others commenting on the lowballing I've done with regards to Kouzai's combat ability. In terms of the twins, there have been a few interactions in the writing here and there, but nothing too substantive yet. Things will come back around though once the action returns to less back-breaking levels. As for Mercury being a rooster, there is very little chance that Mercury can get his hair to stay in layers like it is without obscene levels of hair product or having it grow out like that, kind of like a rooster.**

**Blueassassin996: Yup, and it went about as well as you might expect. This is one of the reasons why direct confrontation has not been high on his list of priorities in the planning.**

**Gizmo Gear: Increasing his Aura is technically possible, but according to statements by the powers that be (ex. RWBY's creators), such a training method is noted as impractical, with most instead training to use it more efficiently.**

**HappyHulk: I've got penchants for certain shades of most colors, but if I had to order them it'd likely be silver, followed by blue in most shades, and then green.**

**R26: Thanks for the well wishes, and I'm definitely taking my time on the whole shipping business. What's been laid out is more of a foundation than anything, but I'll assuredly be trying to build them up to do them justice.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 04/20/2020**


	33. Chapter 30: Once Bitten

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Happy Monday, All. Jokes on today's date aside, it seems likes things are heating up both in the writing as well as the real life shenanigans. As mentioned previously, I've got finals coming up in a couple weeks, so there will be no update on May 4****th****. Hopefully I've paced things properly to wrap up the volume by that point, so fingers crossed. On another note, being an SI story, most of the writing will be done from the OC's perspective. Sometimes though, there are a few too many pieces to properly showcase things from one point of view alone. These upcoming updates are one example of that.**

Chapter 30: Once Bitten

Chapter Date: 04/20/2020

"What do you mean, we can't go?! He's _our_ friend, _our_ team leader!" Melanie looks about two seconds from introducing her bladed heels to Ozpin's face, or at least attempting to do so. And Ilia couldn't blame her in the slightest.

"As I have mentioned already, the abduction of your team leader is a serious and sensitive matter, one that should be handled by the proper individuals and with discretion." Headmaster Ozpin took a sip from his mug, and Ilia twitched at the nonchalant action.

"With all due respect Professor, aren't we as Kouzai's teammates also the most qualified to find him? And I'm sure that we all know how to act discreetly." Miltia eyed Melanie at the last part, but managed to keep a straight face.

"It's not that simple, kids." Ruby and Yang's uncle, Qrow Branwen, ruffled his feather-like hair as his other hand twitched towards the flask his waist, then stopped. His swift arrival and addition to the meeting was something that still needed to be answered. "Look, I know Kouzai, and fact is, if _he_ got jumped and taken, then whoever's got him is beyond the three of you."

"In addition, Qrow is a master of stealth and subterfuge, with decades of experience. While the three of you no doubt have…connections to illicit matters, none of you have the requisite skill in the art of finding missing persons." Ozpin stared knowingly at each of the girls in turn, and Ilia turned a little whiter.

"You…you know-"

"As the headmaster of Beacon Academy, there is a great deal of information that I must make my business to know. However, what is relevant is more a matter of opinion, mine to be exact," Ozpin answered simply, before turning to Qrow. "Now, do you know what Mr. Higure intended in his instructions to Ms. Scarlatina?"

"Nothing concrete, but I've got a few ideas. After all, that kid's sense for devious plans is pretty in line with my own." Qrow rubbed his stubble and narrowed his eyes in thought. "He wanted my nieces in the know, which I'll smack him for later, but he wanted Zwei and I on the job, along with the Fox kid. Seems to me like he's looking for a group of trackers. I'm pretty good at finding people, and I'll admit that Zwei's got one hell of a nose, but Vale's pretty massive and populated for the pup. Not to mention, I've got no idea what the blind kid's got to add…"

"Mr. Alistair's semblance is Telepathy, Qrow. Evidently, Mr. Higure may believe that Mr. Alistair can detect him if they are in close enough proximity. And I wouldn't count out any canine with an unlocked Aura just yet." Ozpin ignored KMMI's stunned looks at the dog to focus on Qrow. "Do you understand why Mr. Higure was taken?"

"Yeah, and something tells me I'm gonna be spending more time reining them in than doing any tracking." Qrow glanced at the elevator as it dinged to notify an ascending occupant. "Tell me that's not her…"

Ozpin elected not to answer, instead turning back to the students. "Now, if that properly addresses your concerns, we must have a staff meeting her to discuss any upcoming action, so you may return to your room and bring Zwei along if you see fit. Rest assured that you will all be notified of whatever action is taken, but also know that you will _not_ be a part of said action."

Ilia ignored the twins' protests, focusing on Ozpin and Qrow's attention on the elevator. "Come on you two, I don't think either of them will change their minds." Ilia slowly made her way over to the elevator, ignoring grumbled mutterings and soft panting in favor of listening to the approaching elevator. She swore she could hear the sounds of arguing growing louder and louder.

DING

"OZPIN!" Like a hurricane, Professor Autumn burst into the room, with Professor Goodwitch on her heels. "What the hell is this I hear about a kidnapping?"

Not wanting to be caught lingering, Ilia walked into the open elevator and pressed the button for the lobby, intently watching the scene before her as the doors closed.

"I can't believe you just gave up without a fuss like that," Melanie spat, glaring at the Faunus. "He's your partner, for-"

Ilia silenced the girl with a glare of her own, before sighing and relaxing her clenched fists. "Not here. Just wait."

… … …

"HUH?! What do you mean, we can't go?"

Ruby couldn't believe her eyes, or ears for that matter. Ilia and Miltia were shaking their heads, and Melanie was using her heels to stab the ground with increasing amounts of force.

Ilia sighed. "Ozpin and your uncle have said to leave things to them, and that Qrow, Zwei and Fox will be discreet."

"Like hell we're lending our teammate out if we can't even be allowed to help," Coco mused, reaching her hand out to mussle Fox's hair before the blind fighter grasped her wrist from behind him.

"That's right. Considering that I was one of the ones attacked, I believe that I have just as much right to be out searching!" Velvet wrung her hands, Kouzai's gauntlet still on one.

"YEAH, Kouzai's our friend! We'll just give the professors the slip and go sleuthing by ourselves!" Nora shouted, her grip on Magnhild looking a tad too tight.

The sixt-fifteen of them were crowded into Team CFVY's room, as the second-year rooms were sizeably roomier than theirs. Even so, the beds were already full and Jaune, Ren, Yatsuhashi, Fox and Pyrrha had elected to remain standing. Zwei was content with zipping around in the space available, taking in the appearance so many new people.

"Alright, between taking out a bunch of Grimm and stopping thieves, I'm sure you all think you're ready to apprehend whatever ne'er-do-wells are out there-"

"Uh, what now?"

"-but once again, let me be the voice of reason." Weiss stood up from her seat and looked around at the room. "We're students. We're not ready to handle this sort of situation."

"Oh, how wise the Schnee sisters are." Everyone turned as Qrow entered the room after Fox opened the door. The veteran huntsman looked a little ruffled than before, hair sticking in multiple directions like a gust had blown through, and one of his sleeves looked singed.

"You're just saying that since you and Weiss' sister are f-" Nora was cut as Pyrrha slapped a hand over her mouth nervously. Meanwhile, Qrow scratched his cheek.

"Well, that might be part of it. But she's still right. Leave this kind of stuff to the pros. Now c'mon, I need to pick up Zwei and this Fox kid and get going, we're on a bit of a clock here." Qrow began walking towards the corgi, but Ruby scooped the dog up in a flash before reappearing back in her spot. "Ruby, what are you doing?"

"Last time that I checked, Zwei is _my_ dog, so I have a final say on what he can and can't do."

"Aroo?"

"So, I say that you can't take Zwei with you unless we're allowed to help!" Ruby finished by standing on the bed, which upon doing so looked a lot less cool while clutching a corgi. However, a dozen sets of eyes were now intently on Qrow.

"Ruby, this is serious-"

"And I'm _being_ serious! Kouzai's our friend, and Team KMMI's leader. Why shouldn't we be allowed to help?"

"Because…rrrgh," Qrow growled, before turning to Fox. "Fine, if the pipsqueak won't let go of Zwei, I'll stick with-huh?"

"Sorry old man, but I can't be loaning out my partner willy-nilly without something in it for me," Coco stated, her armed wrapped around Fox. "After all, Fox here belongs to Team CFVY."

'_I resent being referred to like property_.' Still, the sightless student made no move to escape Coco, instead looking towards Qrow.

"Ruby, you should stop this foolishness now!" Weiss exclaimed, looking up towards her. "While I would normally be loath to let such a cute, adorable dog perform such a dangerous task, he will be protected by your uncle. Furthermore, I will not allow you to potentially risk your safety to search for that broody imbecile, no matter-"

SMACK

The room fell silent, and Weiss slowly turned her head back, her cheek barely tinted red.

"I promised myself that I wouldn't come to blows with you, regardless of your many flaws, over a personal grudge," Ilia seethed, hand still raised. "But I won't sit back and let you badmouth my partner and spout such _hypocrisy_."

Weiss surged up. "_How dare you-_"

"How dare _I_? Let me ask then, if Ruby were to be taken by criminals and put in danger, would you just contentedly remain in your room and let others do _your work_ for you?" Pale blue eyes turned to a blood-red, glaring down as Weiss slowly sat down again. "No? Then _don't_ ask it of Ruby, and _don't_ ask it of my team or anyone else."

Ruby looked over the tops of other heads at her uncle, who gazed at the situation with a thoughtful eye.

"So, that's it then? You all are gonna withhold our best chances at finding Kouzai unless you get to come along?" Qrow glared at each student in turn, and most glared right back. After a minute of this, his eyes softened and a wry smile appeared on his face. "Pieces of work, the lot of you…looks like Tai owes me money after all. Alright then, get going."

"…_HUH_?!"

Qrow uncovered his ears and winced. "I _said_, get going. Like you said, you're gonna hold your dog and _your_ teammate over me till one of us caves, and stubborn brats like you would sooner sit through a marathon of Port's lectures. So the bunch of you can take care of the search, and _I'll_ be sitting pretty waiting for you all to do my work for me." Flat stares drilled through Qrow's bravado in a matter of seconds. "Fine fine, I actually had to stay back anyways, for security reasons."

Ruby's head hurt. "But uncle Qrow, if you're not there, who are we working with then?"

A knock came from CFVY's door, and Qrow smirked. "Ah, speak of my money and it shall appear. You lot are gonna be taking orders from…" Walking over to the door, Qrow swung it open as two figures stepped into the room. "Him. Also, you owe me twenty lien."

"Hah…yeah, I knew it was a fool's bet." Taiyang looked around the room, surveying the students, before turning to his companion. "Hmm, we just _might_ be able to pull things off with this group. What do you think?"

Vernal smirked. "They're soft, but they'll do."

"_HUUUUHHHHH?!_"

… … …

"Alright, does everyone have their orders then? Spread out and search for clues. Ruby and Yang, you both are staying _right_ next to me!"

"What? C'mon!"

"Daaaaaaad!"

Coco shook her head, glancing at her fellow team leader fondly. "Shockingly mature one minute, and a complete kid the next. That's some crazy contrast there…alright, time to work! Fox, what do you got for me?"

Her partner stepped around the lot, head slowly turning as Coco knew he was taking the scene in through his ears, nose and Aura. Circling the area for a moment, he paused and knelt down on the ground, picking something up and showing it to the general vicinity before speaking mentally. '_Tea leaves. The same kind Yatsu uses_.'

"Right, but we already knew Velvet and Kouzai came through here, that's why we're here."

'_Exactly. So where are the rest of them then?_' Coco looked around at Fox's inquiry, before stopping when she realized the question was rhetorical. '_I've already checked around and there aren't any other stray leaves. So whoever took Kouzai_…'

"Also took the Dust and leaves too," Coco breathed. "Fox, can you track the scent of the leaves?"

'_By myself, maybe not. But with Ruby's dog Zwei, we can manage it. Seriously, that thing is some sort of superdog._' Fox's expression fell a bit. '_Coco, there's something else…around the lot, there's traces of sweat from battle, but also-_'

"Splashes of blood. I know, we've seen them. Gods, when Nora mentioned how far Kouzai goes in fights, I thought that was just hyperbole. But he must've given his opponents one hell of a fight." Coco glanced over at a distraught Velvet. "Makes me glad that Kouzai sent Velves away to protect her, even if he did get the crap kicked out of him. Is that a terrible thing to say?"

"No more than it is for a parent to look after the wellbeing of their children first and foremost." Coco turned to see Taiyang approaching as he noted the leaf in Fox's hand. "You think you and Zwei can track that?"

'_It depends on how far Kouzai might have been taken. With this amount of time, it's quite possible, but it's best to have a general idea of where to search first._'

"Isn't that the truth? Guess it's time to put some heads together. Everyone! If you could gather up." Taiyang waited until the four teams had returned. "Okay, Fox and Coco found a lead that we might be able to track, if we can figure out what general area Kouzai might have been taken to."

"Well, Vale's commercial district is bordered by nearly every other district, except the agricultural district," Jaune recalled. "There's the upper-class district, the residential district, the industrial, and Forever Fall."

"Unless some rich whack-job wanted a Beacon student as some sort of involuntary bodyguard, the upper-class district seems like a long shot." Yang looked around. "What? I didn't even insult Kouzai this time!"

"Same reasoning goes for the residential district, which is also much closer to Beacon," Miltia pointed out.

"So that leaves either Forever Fall, or the industrial district. Both are possible places for a hideout, but the forest has the drawback of Grimm. Then again, with Velvet's description…" Taiyang trailed off, before looking at Blake. "What do you think, Blake? Where could this _gray-haired kicker_ or _tri-colored parasol fighter_ have gone off to?"

Coco could easily tell that the B of Team RWBY was shaken for some reason, and had been since Velvet gave her description of the two attackers. It only got worse after Taiyang had entered their room and taken lead of the mission.

"I…"

"Just a second! Velvet, you mentioned that one of the fighters was dressed similarly to that thief Torchwick?" Weiss questioned, as Velvet nodded.

"Yeah, she sounds like the person who was accompanying Torchwick at that Dust robbery that Kouzai and I stopped!" Ruby added as Yang gritted her teeth.

"Hmm, if these people targeted Kouzai for that reason, they'd certainly have a motive," Taiyang mused. "Though, if they're keeping Kouzai the same place that they're taking all this Dust, Forever Fall's probably out then; protecting Dust from Grimm is hazardous at the best of times."

"So the industrial district? Great, let's get this show on the road then!" Nora was already waving Magnhild around, but Ren held her back with a pointed glance towards Weiss, who was deep in thought.

"There…might be a connection between these events," Weiss commented, as everyone leaned in. "There happens to be a shipment of Dust from the SDC arriving into Vale's warehouse district this evening, and I'm told that the amount is sizeable enough to require a freighter."

Everyone except Taiyang blanched. "Whatever Torchwick wants with the Dust that he's stealing, if he gets his hands on a whole ship full of Dust, that doesn't end well. And what better way to ensure your success than to catch the guy who stopped one of his robberies before? Then it's easy to keep an eye on him while your heist goes off…alright then! We're headed towards the industrial district! Zwei, Fox, get ready to do some tracking. Everyone else, keep an eye out as we go."

"Looks like I'll get to see how soft Vale's criminals are as well," Vernal chuckled.

"Call me curious, but _why_ are you here, exactly?" Coco asked as they began moving.

"I've been sticking with Tai recently. Boss lady's orders. But if I've got a chance to knock some heads together, I won't be turning that down. Plus, after we save Kouzai's bacon, he'll owe me one, and I can't wait to watch him squirm until and when I cash it in." Vernal grinned and shot ahead of Coco towards where Taiyang was.

"Lovely girl, that one is," Ilia commented, sliding up next to Coco. Glancing at the shades-wearing girl, Ilia seemed satisfied with whatever she saw. "So you're aware that there's something else going on here."

"Oh, most definitely," Coco replied. "In all that talk, Taiyang failed to mention that _Ruby_ also helped stop that robbery. But she's right here with us."

"So Kouzai was taken for a different reason than that," Ilia finished. "Glad to know that there's someone here that see's the bigger picture as well."

"Trust me, despite the shades, I see a lot of things. But for now, the priority is on getting Kouzai back, and then I'll decide whether to tackle him for keeping Velvet out of danger or tackle him for being the reason she was _in_ danger."

"That ends with being tackled either way…"

"I know, isn't it great?"

… … …

"Wow, that…is a lot of criminals."

Jaune stood on the warehouse roof, overlooking the mass of White Fang soldiers at work loading Dust into their bullheads. Hard at work directing them was Roman Torchwick himself, along with his second-in-command. Even more surprising, the leader of Vale's White Fang, Adam Taurus, was also present. With the man on guard, Team JNPR, along with everyone else present, had to watch on from a fair distance.

"Alright, is everyone clear on their roles?" Taiyang's voice came through Jaune's scroll as Pyrrha, Nora and Ren gathered around.

"We get Torchwick. We'll have that idiot spitting up answers by the time we're through with him," Melanie answered.

"JNPR will handle the White Fang soldiers robbing the Dust," Jaune continued, wincing as Nora hefted Magnhild gleefully.

"Team RWBY will handle the midget next to Torchwick. If what Velvet says is true, she's pretty dangerous in her own right," Yang added.

"She is," Taiyang replied. "And I'll be up against Adam Taurus. Again, if he approaches _any_ of you, do not hesitate to run. That man is lethal. Now, what about everyone else?"

"The CFVY brats, Zwei and I followed the trail to another warehouse a ways into the industrial district. We'll find Kouzai and get him out." Vernal's disappointment at not participating in the impending melee came clear through.

"We're only a few years younger than you, you know."

"Still brats."

"_Girls_," Taiyang warned, as everyone snapped back to attention. "Anyways, just be careful while in there. If you come across anyone exceedingly dangerous, prioritize finding Kouzai. We're here to rescue a student, not fight criminals."

"Aye aye."

"Fine."

"Good. Wait for my signal then." Taiyang ended the call, and Jaune turned to his teammates.

"Alright, when we need to get in there, here's the plan. We split into two pairs, with Pyrrha and Ren in one, and Nora and I in the other. Approach from both sides of the docks, and flank them. Pyrrha and I will shield from the front, while Nora and Ren come in and cut into the enemy line. If anyone's Aura gets low, regroup and I'll use my semblance, got it?" Jaune received nods from all three, as Pyrrha entered her mindset of intense battle focus. Meanwhile, Ren appeared as stoic as ever, and Nora…

"Oh, this'll be so _fun_! Think of all the legs I'll get to break!" Nora twirled in place, and Jaune paled a little at the sight of the menacing grin on her face. "Oh yes, kidnapping a friend is an 'all the broken legs' offense, after all…"

"Nora, maybe keep the number of broken limbs down a little. We're going to have to explain this all to the police and Professor Goodwitch when we get back after all…" Nora appeared to finally sweat at the mention of Goodwitch, and Jaune also had to wipe the sweat off his face. Wait…"Why's it so hot all of a sudden?"

Turning around, Jaune looked towards the docks, where the White Fang were glancing around confusedly from the rising temperature. Out of the corner of his eye, Jaune saw a yellow blur rise, and then fall towards the ground

BOOOOOM

White Fang soldiers went flying from the impact, and as the cloud of dust began to disperse, Jaune caught sight of Taiyang in the middle of the open area, right between Torchwick, Adam Taurus and Torchwick's enforcer. Waves of heat rolled off the softly glowing fighter.

"_Adam Taurus._" Taiyang addressed the White Fang commander. "_My wife says hello_."

CRACK

Adam Taurus was knocked back by a fist faster than Jaune could see, landing back on two feet and drawing his red blade in deadly seriousness.

"TORCHWICK!" Ilia shouted, dashing towards the thief with Miltia and Melanie beside her. Neo made to intercept them, but was forced aside after flipping over a swing from Crescent Rose as Team RWBY took to the field.

"…I guess that was the signal…JNPR! Let's get to work!"

… … …

"You know, if you're looking for someone to repair those legs of yours, I know a guy." I glanced over at Mercury, who was busy trying to repair the damage done to Talaris. Trying being the operative word, as I was throwing not-so-thinly-veiled jabs at him every time he was making progress.

"Listen, you little shit. If it weren't for the fact that Cinder still has questions for you, you'd be nothing more than a smear on the pavement right now," Mercury seethed, before turning to a chuckling Emerald. "And what're you laughing about?"

"Nothing at all…it's just…you and the midget _both_ fought him, and he _still_ damaged your legs! Not to mention, he's got _so many_ insults for you!" Emerald slowly regained her breath. "You know, I might ask Cinder to extend another offer for you to join us, just to hear you roast Mercury."

"Great to hear, I live to please," I replied.

"Don't humor the idiot, Em. We both know that Cinder will get rid of him once we have what we need." Mercury had given up on maintenance for the time being, and was leaning back in his chair while tossing Luna up and down, before glancing at me. "Speaking of, what's with the knife anyways? You were supposed to have a big-ass sword and gun as your weapons."

"Yes, because I _totally_ want to keep my means of self-defense at Beacon," I replied. "You both seem like the type of people to know what a mistake that'd be."

"Hmm." Mercury continued flipping Luna while Emerald gazed off in thought for a moment.

BOOOOOM

Luna clattered to the ground as Emerald and Mercury jerked upright. "What the hell was that? Em, you think…"

"Could just be a coincidence, but probably not," Emerald replied, pulling out her scroll. "Either way, we should check in with Cinder."

Dialing, Emerald waited for a moment before the call picked up, and the clear sounds of gunfire came on over the scroll. "Cinder! What…huntsmen…the docks…Beacon!...ok, we'll watch him." Emerald hung up and eyed me before turning to Mercury. "Cinder's gotten waylaid by a team of Beacon students, but she says we should keep an eye on him, and move him if necessary."

'Here's to hoping…this is gonna hurt…' I began channeling my Aura, waiting for the right moment. "Oh, we're moving? Allow me."

With a five-fold factor of Burst, I ripped the handcuffs and cord, and tossed the chair I was in at Emerald. As the illusionist was occupied for a split second, I rocketed forward and kicked Mercury in the side, sending him skidding as I retrieved Luna and ran for the door. Before I could rush through though, Mercury came flipping in front, blocking the exit. Watching him smirk, I heard the soft clink of chains and ducked as Thief's Respite came swinging over my head, before returning to its natural state.

"Does he have eyes in the back of his head or something?" Emerald questioned casually, stepping past tables and chairs and she began walking over.

"Dunno, but I think he's smart enough to count at least." Mercury eyed me hatefully. "We've done this song and dance already. There's two of us, and we're both better than you in every way."

I closed my eyes for a moment, taking in the surroundings before me. Opening them, I smiled. "But I've got something you don't."

"And what's that?"

"Backup." I ducked out of the way as bullets hit Mercury's back, sending him flying forward into the ground as Vernal rushed into the room, followed by Zwei.

"Well, if it isn't the princess herself in need of rescue," Vernal joked, tossing me a scroll as I put in some numbers.

"Haha, very funny. I never thought the day would come where I'd be fighting alongside you."

"Eh, so long as you're willing to pay the price for it."

"HEY!" Mercury had recovered to his feet, looking none the worse for wear but far angrier than before.

"Who's this girl? Looks a little trashy to be a Beacon student." Emerald came to stand next to Mercury as she turned Thief's Respite into kusarigama again.

"Oh, I'm gonna have fun grinding my boot into your face," Vernal growled, gripping her chakrams. Before anyone could move, a black mass crashed through the roof and hit the floor, a door hissing open as it did. Walking forward, I reached into my locker and pulled out Mirror's Edge and Corona.

"Now…" I said, holding my weapons as I eyed Emerald and Mercury. "Let's try that again, shall we?"

**A/N: Trust me, this? This is gonna be fun…just maybe not for everyone. So we've got the stage set, and things are about to explode, literally in some cases. As mentioned above, there won't be an update on May 4****th****, so hopefully I manage to get everything wrapped up for this volume next week. If not? Well, we'll see. Now for reviews.**

**Oblivious IJ: Ah, if that's your reaction now, looking forward to what you've got for this week's chapter.**

**AlexFalTon: Thanks for the well wishes, and the compliment as well. As mentioned before, we'll see how Kouzai's actions affect the ensuing melee that's to come.**

**Raidentensho: You were close with the tealeaves, but they weren't for himself, as Kouzai would be hard-pressed to track someone by scent alone. Fox and Zwei though?**

**The Keeper of Worlds: A fair fight is rarely had, but with friends like these who needs fair, haha. And though Kouzai has the tools to "counter" Neo, I'd say there's still a mismatch in combat power before getting to that level.**

**Gizmo Gear: Not quite nine ways, but definitely a lot of different moving parts to write.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 04/27/2020**


	34. Chapter 31: The Mother of Invention

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: And here we are, at the end of Volume 1. This week also marks the two-year anniversary since Infinity War and Endgame hit the screens, so action all around. As mentioned previously, there will be no update next week on May 4****th****, since this guy has some incredibly soul-crushing final exams to survive. Hopefully this chapter is enough to make up for that. Also, I just came across a RWBY fanfic by the name of SardoniceEffigy, who also signs off as SE. What're the chances of that?**

Chapter 31: The Mother of Invention

Chapter Date: 04/30/2020

'Mercury and Emerald, Emerald and Mercury. Trust luck, or Luna, to give me some of the best and some of the worst opponents for this situation.' I hefted Mirror's Edge in my hands, testing out my fatigue level while internally measuring my Aura capacity. All the while, I kept my gaze focused on Mercury, knowing that if Emerald were to try something, she wouldn't be able to get both Vernal and I. 'Just under half. If this were Mercury and Neo again, it probably wouldn't be enough even with Vernal. But if it's Mercury and _Emerald_ though…'

"Seems like you and Mister Hair-Gel have a history. What, did you steal his girl or something?" Vernal cajoled beside me, jolting me out of my thoughts.

"More like I wrecked his shotgun boots, before I realized that he's got prosthetics on," I supplied, noting a smirk from Vernal and a snarl from Mercury.

"Uggh, why is it that the people capable of roasting Mercury are both goody two-shoes?" Emerald complained, though the smile on her face didn't quite reach her eyes.

"You just happened to draw the two best people for mud-slinging," Vernal replied, before gripping her chakrams. "And don't be mistaken. I'm doing a good thing, but nothing good about me here. Same goes for him."

"Thank you for that, Vernal," I sighed, chancing a look behind me. "I'm assuming you came here with some people? Even you wouldn't be ballsy enough to find and raid a warehouse by yourself."

"Look at you, using that peanut you call a brain," Vernal shot back. "_Yes_, I came here with people, some not-as-young brats who call themselves latte or something."

"You mean team CFVY?"

"Beacon and their damn acronyms… anyways, they got held up by some dark-haired chick in a red dress, and sent me and Zwei on ahead."

'CFVY is facing off against Cinder? That's not good.' I looked down at Zwei growling nearby, then across at Cinder's protégés, both content to wait, which admittedly benefited _them_ more than us. Speed was definitely of the essence here, but not to the detriment of caution. "Alright, we'll have to fight them if we wanna get out without them on our heels. Watch each other's backs, and Zwei? Keep an eye on the girl, her weapons seem to be the most dangerous at the moment."

"Seems like this kid has an eye for tactics, he already knows _I'm_ the more dangerous one between us two." Emerald smiled, and I didn't see fit to correct her with the real reason. Meanwhile, Mercury gnashed his teeth.

"For someone who just got his ass kicked by _me_, you're awfully mouthy…" Mercury stomped off the ground, breaking the concrete under his feet as he charged towards us. "Let's see how mouthy you are without teeth!"

… … …

"Yatsu, down the front! Fox, from the side! Velvet, the back! _And watch out for that arm_!"

Coco swung Gianduja as said arm whipped around towards her, and the mechashift briefcase _just barely_ managed to deflect the whip-like appendage, which retracted back to its owner.

"So, Beacon sends its fledglings to combat me? Disappointing…but not unexpected." The woman in the red dress glared into Coco and her teammates as she slowly turned to gaze around the room, with one amber eye almost glowing and a red eye nearly _burning_ with hate. "I suppose Ozpin merely considers sacrificing you four as less of a cost than giving up his precious piece."

"Only if we give up the ghost, lady!" At Coco's words, her team swept into action. Yatsuhashi rushed in with Fulcrum chambered for a strike, but before he could get into swinging range he was forced to defend as the woman's inhuman arm rocketed at him, before running into a solid wall of muscle and steel.

'_Hold her there, Yatsu. I'm coming in to-woah!_' Fox, weaving left and right towards their opponent's left side, had to duck as the black limb swung around in a semicircle, taking Yatsuhashi with it as its unnatural strength dragged their teammate along for the ride. Taking advantage of the opening, Fox sliced out at the woman's side with Sharp Retribution.

CLANG

'..._You've got to be kidding me…_' Sharp Retribution tremored as Fox applied more of his body weight into the swing, but met the deadlock of a singular blackened sword held in the woman's right hand. Sensing a void, the blind fighter backed up as the woman's left arm retracted to its normal length and grabbed her sword, slashing up as the woman turned to level her right hand at Velvet as the ground beneath her glowed red. '_Velvet, make a shield!_'

Molten slag rose up and hardened into dozens of pointed clumps, shooting towards Velvet's direction as the Faunus activated Anisedora. A glowing copy of Fulcrum appeared in front of her to ward off the projectiles as the woman turned back towards the front, where Coco was warming up Gianduja.

"HIT THE DECK!" Hype and Gianduja combined fired a storm of Dust at their opponent, who slammed her palm into the ground and superheated the area in front of her. With a burst of what looked like magma, the rain of Dust slowed and stopped as Coco paused, watching in disbelief as the curtain of cherry-red fell to reveal their dichromatic, seemingly none the worse for wear. "Report!"

"I am unharmed…mostly." Yatsuhashi pushed off chunks of plaster from his impact with the wall.

'_Still up, for now_,' Fox replied, keeping Sharp Retribution at the ready.

"I'm alright," Velvet confirmed, hefting Fulcrum as she took a stance similar to Yatsuhashi. "And I'm annoyed."

"That makes probably all four of us, Velvs." Coco gauged the spacious warehouse room they were in, along with their mysterious opponent's condition. "Damn, this is gonna take a while…Vernal better be moving quick…"

… … …

Weapon swings weaker than Weiss. Movement slower than Cardin.

BAM

More fragile than…huh, Weiss again.

Jaune clocked the shield-bashed White Fang grunt opposite him with the flat side of Crocea Mors, sending the Faunus down with a welt on the side of his face. Turning, he surveyed the battlefield with a confused expression. "This seems far too easy…"

Beside him, Nora was slugging White Fang soldiers all around her with precise, compact swings of Magnhild. The decrease in power did nothing to save the soldiers, some of whom didn't even their Aura unlocked. Thankfully, Jaune had caught onto that fact after bashing a soldier who'd come away with a broken nose…and likely a concussion. So far Nora had managed to rein herself in, preventing the potential for broken legs from becoming atomized legs. With the tightness to his teammate's eyes, along with the whites of her knuckles showing, keeping her anger in check was a close thing. Not that he could blame her in the slightest, though.

Looking across to the other end of the docks, Jaune caught sight of Pyrrha and Ren quickly and methodically cutting their way through the rank and file soldiers. With Pyrrha occupying the bulk of the attention from the front, Ren was free to come around and deliver glancing but effective slashes with Stormflower, confirming who did and didn't have Aura before the duo closed in on them.

"Too bad we don't exactly have the luxury of testing the waters like that," Jaune murmured, glancing between Crocea Mors in his hands and Magnhild in Nora's. Shaking his head, he refocused on the objective at hand, and examined the White Fang's tools. "These are way better than the average weapons used by the police. Where are they getting the funding for all this?"

Before he could muse any further, the sound of low whirring caught his ears as he peered up and caught sight of the Bullheads that had dropped the White Fang soldiers returning. Or more importantly, sight of the gun barrels emerging on the underside of the aircraft.

"JNPR, TAKE COVER!" Both pairs took shelter behind some shipping containers, and Jaune knew they only had seconds before the Bullheads came upon their position. "Pyrrha, Ren! Teakettle! Nora, we're doing Smite!"

Magnhild came up and Nora grinned. "Goodie…" Focusing his Aura, Jaune channeled Aura to Nora through Aura Amp as Nora shattered a Lightning Dust crystal in her hand, arcs of electricity coursing through her. "READY!"

"Alright…" The sound of the engines almost on them, Jaune lowered himself, his shield held above his head. With a hop, Nora raised Magnhild and jumped, landing on Crocea Mors and jumping high into the air as Jaune launched her upward. "GO!"

Almost flying through the air, he watched as Nora arced directly towards the Bullhead nearest to them, and with a single swing pulverized one the wings at its thinnest point, before falling onto one of the warehouse roofs. Above them both, the Bullhead emitted a growing keening sound, before its broken wing exploded and destabilized the aircraft, forcing it towards the water ahead. Turning to the side, Jaune caught sight of his other two friends, both covered in the gray layer of Tranquility, with Pyrrha even darker as her arms glowed with the power of Polarity. The sputtering of the Bullhead nearest those two showed the crumpled wing engine openings, sending the second Bullhead down as well. "Alright, three Bullheads left. We can take of this."

"Think again." Jaune whirled around and brought his shield up in time to receive some serrated weapon, whirring as the teeth spun around and grating against Crocea Mors. Its wielder was a powerfully built White Fang the size of Yatsuhashi, his face covered in a unique mask. "You all will have to deal with me."

"No…I don't think _we_ will. Nora! Help Pyrrha and Ren with the Bullheads!" Above him, Jaune nodded as he saw the approaching Nora acknowledge his orders and head off towards the others. Turning back to the White Fang member, he pushed back with his shield, evening the deadlock. "Let's have ourselves a more singular bout."

… … …

"RRRAAGH! STAND STILL!"

Ruby watched as Yang swung her fist at the shorter girl yet again, only for her opponent to acrobatically parry the blow with her parasol and high kick her sister in the face and send her sprawling. Before their opponent could capitalize though, she was beset on both sides by Weiss and Blake. Using her parasol to deflect Gambol Shroud, the girl weaved and bobbed around Myrtenaster before twisting and upending Weiss with another kick. Before she could do the same to Blake though, Ruby fired a shot from Crescent Rose directly at her back, forcing the enforcer to deploy her parasol defensively over her back. The rest of her team took that opportunity to regroup.

"This girl…is by far…the most annoying person I've ever faced," Yang panted, fatigue catching on for her quicker than the rest of them due to her overcommitting for her attacks.

"If she wasn't our opponent, and a downright sadist judging by her expression, I might actually compliment her on her agility and flexibility," Weiss huffed, and Ruby had to agree. A look at Blake revealed that the Faunus was extremely tense and wary around the trichromatic fighter, likely due to the danger she posed.

Said fighter took a moment to smirk at Blake, before turning to Yang and letting her expression drop to one of sheer disappointment, accompanied by sighs and head shakes.

Weiss appeared incredulous. "Yang, if I'm not mistaken, that girl appears-"

"Yeah, _I got it_," Yang growled, taking a stance. "Ruby, call 'em out so I can slam her smug face into the ground."

Yang and her temper…"Ladybug!" From opposite ends, Ruby and Blake sped towards girl, swinging out with both their blades, only for the girl to leap high into the air. Undeterred, the pair pushed off again, slicing out toward the girl as she came down, only for the parasol to open and slow her descent. With that opening, their opponent's heels kicked Ruby in the back and sent her forward, before backflipping over and parrying Gambol Shroud to land behind her team once more. As Ruby hit the ground, she called out, "Freezerburn!"

Yang leapt into the air as Weiss coated the ground in a layer of ice. Slamming the ice with Ember Celica, the gauntlet discharged and the area became filled with fog. Ruby caught sight of a petite figure in the fog and readied her rifle. "At two-o-clock!"

As Weiss and Yang rushed forward, Yang went high as Weiss went low, both weapons coming in from opposite sides towards the unprepared girl. With a sound like shattering glass, Myrtenaster and Ember Celica impacted against nothing, and both girls stumbled from nearly slamming into one another.

"Ruby, behind you!" Heeding Blake's warning, Ruby turned just in time to intercept the parasol with Crescent Rose. However, with a hook of the parasol handle, Crescent Rose was wrenched upwards as the girl did a full turn to launch a side kick into Ruby's torso, sending her skidding back before Crescent Rose dug into the ground.

"Thanks for the save Blake." Ruby kept her focus on the girl as Blake mumbled some reply. "Ok, she has some sort of illusion semblance, and she's so quick it's almost like she knows our moves."

"How on Remnant are we supposed to beat her then?"

Ruby readied Crescent Rose. "We'll just have to show her moves she hasn't seen before."

… … …

CLANG CLANG-CLANG

BANG

Taiyang and Adam Taurus stood apart from one another, their section of the open space significantly more unmarred by their battle compared to the fights between the students. However, a look around confirmed to Tai that all the students were still up and accounted for.

"Hmph, aren't you so _proud_ of your daughters, Taiyang Xiao Long?" Adam chuckled, smirking at the father. "What a shame it would be if they came to harm because of Neo, or if any of the humans came to harm for that matter."

Taiyang smiled back. "_Trying to appeal to my protectiveness as a parent? Nice try. I know you're trying to get past me to get to Blake Belladona. I remember the two of you appearing at that battle together…and now, one of you is fighting alongside the likes of Roman Torchwick, and the other has huntsmen supporting her._"

Adam's smirk dropped away, and he levelled Wilt. "Don't spout off inane chatter on subjects you know nothing about. That is a conversation for Blake and I alone. Now _move_."

Now Tai was the one chuckling. "_I'm afraid I can't do that. I'm here to hold people like you in check. Though for the record, it appears you have a bit of a history of those acquainted with you defecting, Blake and Ilia among them for starters_."

"YOU…WILL FALL!" Adam charged forward, slicing Wilt towards Taiyang and raising Blush to fire a shot. As the red blade cleaved down, Taiyang batted Wilt aside with his gauntlet, before pushing his other arm upwards and forcing Blush to fire off-course. Before Adam could react, Taiyang grasped Wilt's handle and kicked Adam in his side, sending him flying ten yards before he landed on his feet, and without his blade.

Taiyang examined the blade in his hands. "_I got the rundown on your fighting style from my wife, along with your weaknesses. Turns out, your styles are both similar, and your weapons of choice as well. Though…her blades were brittle, and easily replaced. Yours appears to be rigid and unbreakable. I wonder if that's indicative…_" He seemed to pull out of his musings, and stabbed the blade into the ground behind him. "_Well, I suppose things can always change. Now, I wonder how you'll fare without your blade_."

Taiyang dashed forward this time, and as Adam came forward he fired off a series of jabs. To his surprise, however, Adam nimbly ducked between the strikes before letting loose a straight of his own. Taiyang ducked under the fist, but narrowly scraped past the knee that followed after, twirling out of the way.

"An encounter with that accursed entity known as the Specter, revealed to me some of the flaws in my combat form." Adam took a stance, now a few steps closer to his weapon. "In preparation to cut him down, I have since improved my abilities."

"_So that's what your relationship with him with them is…guess I'll have to ask you more about that later…_" Taiyang readied himself in response.

… … …

"Hey, come on girls, can't we all just get along?"

"NOT A CHANCE!" Miltia and Melanie rushed in towards Torchwick, who was doing a masterful job of fending them both off with Melodic Cudgel. "You kidnapped our friend and team leader!"

"To be fair, he kind of made himself a prime target thanks to botching one of my heists. Professional courtesy, you know." With a twirl, Melodic Cudgel slammed into Miltia's guarded claws, sending her skidding back as Melanie jumped back to avoid a fist to the face. "More importantly, he, and _you two_, are training to be _huntsmen_. I mean, come on, doesn't that just hurt your very soul? 'Cause it sure as hell hurts mine, and just think of how upset Neo is."

The twins balked slightly, but Ilia had no such reservations, raising Lightning Lash at the thief. "Enough games Torchwick! You know where my partner is, so spit it out and we might leave you alone."

"Y'see, that's a prime example of how to negotiate badly. Why would I give up your friend's location on the off-chance you'll let me off the hook? Plus, you abandon the fight now and who's to say I won't turn around and help do one of you other brats in? Maybe Little Red, considering how she played a part that night as well." KMMI tensed, but Torchwick lowered Melodic Cudgel's barrel away from RWBY's fight and chuckled. "For the love of…you're all _so_ wound up. Like I'd risk grazing Neo with one of my shots. You know how much ice cream I'd have to buy her? Plus, my heart's not really in the fight anyways."

"Then just tell us-"

"But," Torchwick continued, "orders are orders. And let me tell you, they are coming from one hell of a scary lady. So maybe I'm keeping you here to save my own hide. Maybe it's to save yours. Maybe it's 'cause I'm wating for something unexpected to happen…who knows?"

"Oh _my_ god, you talk too much." Melanie readied her heels, looking over at her twin and Ilia's flat stares. "What? He does."

"That wasn't the point we were making." Miltia sighed, then raised her arms again and glared at Torchwick. "You have to know, Junior won't take too kindly to this."

"Yeah, there goes another drinking buddy. And the place where I drink too, now that I think about it." Torchwick twirled Melodic Cudgel around as he looked saddened for a moment. "The price of doing business, I suppose."

Ilia lunged forward, activating Lightning Lash as the whip and cane clashed. Torchwick flinched as electricity sparked down his weapon, and the twins took that moment to close the distance. "We'll decide for ourselves if we're heading into danger."

… … …

"Vernal, to the left!"

"Wha-? But she's-"

"JUST DO IT!"

CLANG

Vernal's Chakrams collided with Thief's Respite in the air, the chakram spinning back around to Vernal as the kusarigama retracted back to Emerald. Vernal turned towards me, a question on her lips, before raising her weapons and firing a hail of bullets. "LOOK OUT!"

I twisted around as Mercury weaved through the projectiles, and I cleaved Mirror's Edge at the martial artist as he flipped and axe kicked towards my head. Both our weapons slammed into one another, and I gritted my teeth and held my sword up despite the advantage in gravity, before slashing outwards and throwing Mercury off my blade.

It turned out that, while beneficial, fighting two-on-two wasn't as helpful as I anticipated. While Vernal and I had fought each other recently, and knew each other's moves, Mercury and Emerald had been traveling and serving Cinder together for gods knows how long. Not only that, they actually worked well together when they weren't sniping at one another, and compensated for each other's weaknesses. While Vernal and I…

"OI, DIPSHIT! WHERE WAS THE ADVANCE WARNING!"

"I stopped you from getting hit!"

"You call that stopping? I had to throw my own damn weapon! Firing at Mister Sweatpants is stopping someone from getting hit!"

"But you _didn't_ stop him! He dodged _all_ your bullets!"

…Were not the best pair. Which meant some revision of plans was required. 'I can see through Emerald's illusions, but I'm not sure if Vernal can take Mercury. But if _I_ face him, then who watches out for Vernal?'

"Arf!" I looked down to see Zwei wagging his tail excitedly, somehow unscathed despite the blades and bullets that must've been flying all over the place.

'Oh you have gotta be…' I sighed, before pointing over to Vernal. "Zwei, would you please watch out for Vernal while she fights Emerald? And _please_ be careful, I don't think I'd be able to survive Yang's wrath and Ruby's grief if you end up getting so much as a scratch on you."

The corgi nodded resolutely, trotting over to Vernal as she gaped at me. "Are you kidding me? You're shackling me to the damn-"

"I'm _trusting_ you, both of you, to handle Emerald while I take on Mercury. She's an illusionist, which means unless you've got another pair of eyes hidden somewhere, Zwei is your best bet at beating her." I looked over at Mercury, who seemed quite pleased at the prospect of a one-on-one. "You're definitely getting the better end of the deal right now."

"Tch!...Fuck it, I'll take the stripper, you get the breakdancer. If you go losing to someone else though before we get our rematch…" Vernal turned to face a reddening Emerald.

"Who, are you calling a _stripper_?" Emerald hissed, Thief's respite raised threateningly while Mercury was laughing off to the side.

"What do you know Em, this _is_ pretty good entertainment after all!" The kicker straightened as I approached, Mirror's Edge split into longswords. "Come to get stomped in style?"

"Nope. Just about time I prove I'm actually capable of winning." That shut Mercury up quickly, and he took his stance as well. "So, we're both worse off, you without your guns and me without some Aura. Shall we try that match you so desperately wanted?"

"After _YOU_!" Mercury kicked off the ground, and I met his kick with a slash from the right, before closing in with my left.

… … …

"This woman is _insane_!" Coco fired off another flurry of bullets from Gianduja, trying to stem off the wall of razor-sharp slag coming her way. The two storms of projectiles met and exploded into flecks of dust and molten concrete, but both parties were already in action.

They were _winning_. They had to be. This woman, while huntress-level, was still just one person, albeit one person with a Grimm arm and a frankly _broken_ semblance. With Yatsu providing the defense, Fox dialing up the speed, and herself to pour on the dakka, Velvet was free to keep catching the woman off-guard with the photos saved in Anisedora. But it was _far_ closer than it had any right to be. That arm was as strong as Yatsu, the woman herself could react nearly as fast as Fox, and all of Gianduja's shots were getting blocked by molten return fire. Not to mention, whatever that semblance was allowed the woman to nearly match Velvet with glass copies of her own.

"Fox, how're we looking?" Coco called out, trying to put up a better battle plan. They had the edge, but each of them had taken some hits and it was frankly only a matter of time before that arm caught someone head-on.

'_Not as much as we'd like, but more than we need_," Fox supplied, flexing his fingers. '_If we can continue this pace for another five, maybe ten minutes, we-_'

'The issue being that we do not have ten minutes, do we Coco?' Yatsu was the one to think the elephant in the room. 'We may be among the best in our year, but our opponent remains one of the most skilled we have ever met, even notwithstanding her Grimm appendage.'

'Basically, luck runs out,' Coco continued. 'If we can, we should pull back and head off to where-'

CFVY paused and stared as the woman nonchalantly pulled her scroll out, dialed something and began waiting, before idly glancing at her opponents. "If you would like to attack me, we can resume our fight, but I promise I can make that unpleasant for at least one of you. So, why don't you let me have this?"

"Lady, I don't give a f-"

"Emerald. It's me…so they found the boy…cut our losses, and gather the rest…_you_ are indispensable. You know where to go." The woman ended the call and pocketed her scroll, turning to those around her. "I take it you are not amenable to my departing from this place?"

Two Giandujas deployed, and four pairs of heels dug into place. "Something like that."

"A pity. You all might have been useful later. Nonetheless, I suppose I will see how you fare." The woman raised her arm, and Fox's mental scream was all the warning they had.

'_DUCK!_' All four members of CFVY dropped flat to the ground as the Grimm arm came tearing around in a circle, nearly taking Coco's head off from her position by the wall. After a few seconds, the arm returned to its regular size.

"You'll need to try a lot harder than that if you wanna put us-"

CRRRRAACK

"…down?" Coco turned, and eyed the support pillar behind her, or rather what was left of it. Whirling back, she looked out towards the rest of the room, and her eyes widened as low rumblings began to echo. "Damnit, everyone out _now!_"

Fox made double time for the doorway, but Yatsu was lagging behind before Velvet game him a spartan kick in the back to propel him forward, before the Faunus sprinted through the doorway not a second too soon.

KRRAAAKOOOOOOM

The walls and roof of the room tumbled inward with a deafening sound, and Yatsu braced himself against the doors of the room to hold back any wind pressure or stray debris. After about a minute, the quakes subsided, and Yatsu tentatively opened the door after confirming there was nothing built up against it.

"Crap, it's a mess in there. Fox, can you get a read on anything?" Coco instinctively already knew the answer.

'_There's no Aura in the room. If she didn't make it our, she's certainly not now. Something tells me-_'

"She escaped." Velvet clenched her fist, and her ears drooped slightly. "We nearly had her, and-"

"And that's not what the mission was about. Getting answers out of the kidnapper is good, but we're here to find Kouzai." Coco finished, before peering into the room again. "Though, considering the path Vernal took is definitely closed off now, we'll have to find a way around."

… … …

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

The chainsaw blade slammed into the ground, its teeth grinding into the concrete of the docks. Jaune took his stance again and reviewed the situation.

The White Fang solider was strong, possibly even moreso than him. He had the edge in speed though, and potentially endurance if he used Aura Amp. His technique was also far better, given that the masked Faunus's style essentially amounted to "swing until they drop."

"Who on Remnant would ever be stupid enough to think that would work?" Jaune murmured , before readying himself. "Hey, big guy! You probably can't see too well through that mask, but I'm actually over here."

"Irritating _bug_!" The chainsaw tore out of the ground in a spray of rubble, and the White Fang soldier charged forward, chainsaw already in motion. Stepping forward, Jaune angled his shield as the chainsaw came down, deflecting it to the side as he slashed out with Crocea Mors like he'd done no less than half a dozen times already. Pivoting to the fighter's side, he slashed again at his back, then leapt over the chainsaw as the White Fang member twisted all the way around in a full swing. Hopping back away from a front kick, Jaune stepped back in to plant Crocea Mors in the ground and let loose a side kick, knocking his opponent off his feet. Grabbing his sword, Jaune turned as he swung Crocea Mors around, knocking the man's chainsaw aside, before rotating and bringing the point of his shield down onto the White Fang member's mask, cracking the ground underneath his head. The masked Faunus' body twitched for a moment, before it fell still.

"Whew, definitely better than the average solider, that's for sure." Jaune kept his weapons at the ready as he returned to the main area of the docks. "Now, where are-"

BOOM BOOM

"WHEEEEEE!" Jaune caught sight of Nora firing a whole canister of grenades at a Bullhead wing, before hopping off the shipping container she was on as its other wing crumpled, sending the flightless aircraft into the ocean. The grenadier landed on the ground, then spotted Jaune across the way. "Fearless Leader! We took another one out just now!"

"Great, so that should just leave-" Before Jaune could continue, the loud whirring of engines approached as the other two Bullheads flew overhead, and headed further into the docks. Jaune began sprinting over to his team. "Nora, Pyrrha! Can you guys ground those two?"

"Sorry, Jaune-Jaune, I'm all out of grenades. Just Lightning Dust and a mean swing for me." Nora looked apologetic, despite having fulfilled her leg-breaking quota.

"I'm sorry, Jaune. Grasping that last Bullhead with Polarity was more taxing than I anticipated." Pyrrha had a light sheen of sweat across her body, but remained strong on her legs. "I can attempt to reach out to the remaining two if you can amplify me with your semblance."

Jaune thought for a moment, before shaking his head. "With Nora out of explosives and your Aura getting low, it'd be too much of a risk to draw the Bullheads back to us. We've confirmed that neither of them seem to have gotten the Dust shipment, and we've taken out three, so that's good enough." The leader of JNPR looked at deeper into the docks where the others were at currently. "We should make our way over just in case the rest need backup though."

"Agreed."

"On it."

"Already goiiiinnnngg…"

… … …

"HAHA! Sunflower worked! In your face, midget!"

Ruby watched as the acrobatic girl flipped back upright, surrounded by rose petals and stray concrete torn up by Ember Celica's shots. Despite having taken a solid hit from _Yang_ of all people though, the girl didn't look too worse for wear, merely rubbing the cheek from where Yang had managed to land her punch.

"Well, while the airhead is celebrating, we need a new strategy. Because something tells me that this girl likely isn't going to fall for that move again." Weiss turned towards Ruby and smiled. "It was a brilliant move though."

"Aww, thanks Weiss, I-"

"Shh." Both partners turned towards Blake, who was looking towards the sky. "Do you hear that? It sounds like…Bullheads!"

Everyone turned as Blake pointed, with two Bullheads approaching from the ocean. Before anyone else could react, their opponent dashed forward, flipped onto Yang, then sprang into the air by using Yang's face as a platform. Sailing upwards, the girl landed on the rooftop above them, looking down and smirking, before sticking her tongue out at Yang and boarding the Bullhead.

"Blehh! GRRR…YOU!" Ember Celica fired rapidly as Yang shot all her ammo towards the Bullhead. The shotgun spray fell short however as the Bullheads rose up, and Yang lowered her arms and panted from the exertion. "_Dangit_… I swear, that midget is mine next time…"

"Then you had best train like your life depended on it Xiao Long, because I'd say that the girl was looking rather disappointed towards the end there. Gods knows I've seen that look enough times…" Weiss stared off at the containers of Dust around them for a moment.

"Don't worry Weiss, you did great today!" Ruby wrapped her arms around her partner and squeeze-hugged her.

"Get off me, you dolt! Do you realize how dirty our outfits are at the moment?" Strangely though, Weiss' struggles seemed half-hearted at best.

… … …

"_Hmm. It appears that your ride has come to bail you out_." Taiyang regarded the White Fang commander kneeling and panting. "_I hope they don't think that taking you away will be that simple_."

As the second of the two Bullheads approached their area, Taiyang readied himself to rush in, but before he could, a whining sound under his feet had him glancing down to see the ground heating up cherry-red. Dodging out of the way, the ground erupted into a fiery explosion, and the huntsman brushed off the debris and ashes off his outfit as the Bullhead took the opportunity to land, and a familiar face stepped out and faced him.

"Taiyang Xiao Long. How…interesting, that you're here, working with Ozpin." Cinder's eyebrow rose, drawing attention to her red eye. "I wonder what your wife would think of such a thing."

"_Well, I think her exact words were, 'Make sure you get some favors out of it. Oh, and get a recording of the kid agreeing to owe us for life.' So, I'm not too concerned for what she thinks._"

"Is that so? We'll have to make note of that then. Now, it seems like you're opposed to me gathering my acquaintances and departing." Cinder gestured to Adam as he rose to his feet. "Consider your priorities, if you would. Is attempting to stop us here worth the time you might be missing in checking if Kouzai Higure is alright, or any of the students sent to find him? Would you _really_ wish to endanger those on the docks right now from all this volatile Dust that we're unable to take? Any injuries or casualties to these students would be most…tragic."

Taiyang took a deep breath, before releasing the accumulated energy he gathered, and with it the waves of heat. Nodding, Cinder waved Adam towards the Bullhead. "Don't think this means that I'll stand by and let you fulfill whatever plans for Vale _She_ has."

Cinder chuckled, raising her Grimm arm to cover her mouth. "How brave of you, to believe that _you_ have what it takes to stop _Her_ plans. After all, you and yours have been noticed by her now."

Taiyang managed to avoid flinching, instead opting to clench his fists. "If _She_, you, or anyone else thinks they can take away what I have now…_they can fight me for it_."

Cinder nodded, as if satisfied with the answer. "Very well. I won't keep you any longer then. Roman! It is time to leave."

… … …

Torchwick pushed off from the deadlock that he was in, rubbing his shoulders as he readjusted his bowler hat. "Yeesh! From one battlefield to another, I suppose. Three on one is harsh on poor old me, but I still think I'd rather take you lot than the alternative."

As Torchwick turned to begin walking, he was cut off as Melanie blocked his way. "C'mon Mel. You know how this works. If the big bad Taiyang Xiao Long is stepping back, don'tcha think it's time to lay off the revenge juice?"

"He's right. No point in prolonging the fight. They're already leaving without having gotten any Dust." Torchwick's surprised look soured at the latter part of Ilia's statement. "The fight is over _for now_."

Melanie was still for a moment, before slowly stepping to the side, letting Torchwick pass as she glared at him every step of the way.

"Talk about rolling up the red carpet…hah, shoulda known, some gigs you just don't take." Torchwick twirled his cane as he drew close to the Bullhead. "Oh, and let Junior know it might be time to close up shop if he doesn't want any part of this. Then again, it might already be too late."

Stepping onto the Bullhead, Ilia saw the figures of Roman Torchwick, Adam Taurus and the woman called Cinder slowly disappear as the Bullhead shut, and began lifting off the ground, with the two heading out towards the open water.

"Alright everyone, gather around." Taiyang's voice called out across the docks, and RWBY, JNPR and KMMI gathered together. I got CFVY to send us the location of the warehouse before they went in, so you all should head over there to confirm how things look."

"And what're you doing, dad?" Yang asked brusquely, before Taiyang gestured out towards the various furrows, craters and melted scenery around them, along with the mass of unconscious White Fang members.

"_Someone_ will need to explain exactly what happened here. Would one of you rather have a nice, lengthy conversation with the police, instead of checking in with your friends?" All responses were of shaking heads. "Thought so. Now get going, who knows how things look over there at the moment."

… … …

CRACK

'Sonofagrimm!' I wheeled back around and slashed out with Mirror's Edge, but Mercury ducked under the blade and launched another side kick, sending me skidding to the side as I just managed to block. Even then, my head was still throbbing from the blow he'd landed to my head. 'Having no ranged function for Talaria is helping, but Mercury's first and foremost a close-combat fighter, and a pretty strategic one at that. I don't have time to-' Mercury dashed in again, and I gritted my teeth and weaved a pattern of steel with my longswords. However, Mercury was dodging them handily.

"Seen, it, al-rea-dy." Mercury punctuated the last syllable with a heel kick to my side, making my ribs creak even through the guard I'd put up. "Like I said, take out my guns, bring all the weapons you want. It doesn't make up for skill, and you don't have a chance against me."

"Well, the scorecards aren't in just yet, and I've still got another round in me." I grinned despite myself, pushing the kicker back with Mirror's Edge. A glance behind me showed Vernal locked in heated battle with Emerald, with Zwei running interference whenever Vernal was caught in one of Emerald's illusions. Curiously, Emerald seemed to have her scroll out. A quick review of my Aura put me at about a third, after the passive enhancement and healing needed to keep my ribs from screaming. I'd landed some hits on Mercury, but he gave _much_ better than he got.

"Heh, you're grimmshit crazy, you know that?" Mercury cracked his neck. "I'm gonna enjoy putting you down!"

Concentrating, I focused my Aura into Chronometry and Burst, pouring my energy into dishing out what I could. Rocketing forward, I watched Mercury's eyes widen slowly as I came in with Mirror's Edge, slashing across the cybernetic prosthetic as he managed to kick in time. Not done yet, I let go the longsword in my left hand and slashed in with my right. Mercury went to block, but jerked back as the two halves of Mirror's Edge slammed back together from a lack of Aura reinforcement. Firing Mirror's Edge, I accelerated the swing of the greatsword to crash into Mercury's side, sending him bouncing over one of the crates scattered around the room. Recovering and flipping onto his feet, Mercury stumbled back as I fired three shots with Corona in my left hand. One hit his torso, but he ducked under the second and blocked the third with his leg. Ignoring the growing strain in my body, I hurtled a longsword from Mirror's Edge forward, before leaping towards Mercury and throwing the other half. As Mercury kicked the first away, he weaved away from the second and kicked again to avoid the halves from slicing into him. By that point, I was on him, with Luna and Corona in my hands as I fired at point blank range, hitting him twice before slashing down with Luna…and having my wrist be caught.

"Bastard…looks like…you're all tuckered out, huh?" Mercury kneed my injured side, then kicked me into some crates as I doubled over. "Good, 'cause I feel like paying you back two-fold!"

I knew my Aura was under the danger zone, and only about a hit or two from fading. 'Do I have it in me to keep Burst up? No, he'll have caught on…Mirror's Edge is over there…c'mon what're my options, I need to cut him down to size!...Wait…cut...that'll work.'

As Mercury advanced, I dragged myself off my back, coming to rest on one knee. With Chronometry, I saw each slow step he took. Keeping Corona trained on him, I focused Aura into Luna as I fired, the bullets missing their mark as Mercury drew closer.

"Unbelievable. You don't know when to quit, do you?" Mercury stopped a couple feet from me, sneering down.

"I'm told…it's one of my endearing qualities…" I steeled myself, then gripped Corona and swung outwards to pistol whip him. As expected, he kicked out towards my face to know Corona from my hands.

Unexpectedly, it was with the wrong leg, which blocked my path to stab with Luna.

Even more unexpectedly, his foot stopped a foot from my head as it ran into a wall of silver. The words popped into my head.

"Barrier…" I dropped Corona and grabbed Mercury's outstretched leg with my right hand, drawing back my left. Before I could slash, I caught sight of Mercury's gloved fist heading for my face, and I gritted my teeth.

THUD

"Two for Flinching…" The blow felt distant, and I maintained my focus as I stared down Mercury, his _very_ battered cybernetic leg grasped in my hand. For the first time this fight, as I slashed down, the hint of fear entered his eyes.

Far too late.

WHOOOOM

CLANK

Mercury and I both hit the ground, with me panting out of exhaustion as the Aura slash from Luna dispersed into the air. As for Mercury, he looked in disbelief at the leg that'd been sheared off just below the knee. Gathering himself, he snarled and shouted, "EMERALD!"

I pulled myself up and looked for Vernal, catching sight of her deadlocked with the illusionist. As Emerald looked over, she saw Mercury sprawled on the ground, and her red eyes hardened. Slashing out with Thief's Respite, she aimed for Zwei.

"NOO!" Vernal dived in front and took the blow, sending both her and Zwei rolling into some crates. Stepping back, Emerald looked over at Mercury and I…before turning and dashing away.

"Emerald? EMERALD! GET BACK HERE, YOU-"

WHAM

Mercury's head hit the ground, and I dropped his leg before sitting down on one of the intact crates, just in time to see Zwei and Vernal pick themselves off the ground.

"Where did that bitch go?" Vernal growled groggily, something her and Zwei seemed to be in agreement with.

I shook my head. "Gone. She abandoned Mercury here, and you and I are in no shape to chase after her." Vernal looked like she was about to argue, before thinking better of it and plopping down on one of the crates next to me.

"Fuck it, it's over then. Time to head home then."

'Where did those moves come from?' I shook my head as I heard shouts approaching, before CFVY rushed into the room at one doorway, followed by RWBY, JNPR, Ilia and twins pouring into another doorway after. A smile crept onto my face. 'The present, huh Prim?'

"Yeah. Home."

**A/N: By the gods, it's done. It's the little things, like imagining matchups and writing them, that really bring joy. Needless to say, this volume wrapped up far different than the canon show did, so we'll see what happens moving forward into Volume 2, which will start two weeks from today on May 11****th****. Now for reviews.**

**R26: Well, on Remnant, roughing someone up after their Aura's been broken is probably considered as taking liberties with the capture, or it would be if the abducted didn't fight back. As for timelines, I'm moving the narrative along, so we'll see whether or not it catches up in due time. And the last I remember, I think I was thirty or so chapters into it.**

**Wytaele: Coloring his locker black would be taking the theme a bit too far, in actuality I was more referencing the natural color of the lockers and that it's dark with low light. And thanks for the well wishes.**

**Bignub243: When the objective is either holding out or escaping with your life, having weapons on you is a must when the pursuers are two very competent killers. Something like backup would either already be on its way, or take far too long to get there without a fight. And Vernal has been accompanying Tai for a bit, and was present for the search and raid on Cinder's warehouse.**

**Raidentensho: In terms of semblance evolution, who knows how a semblance can change and why. Funnily enough, Mercury is actually based on the roman god, known for his swiftness and winged footwear.**

**Bow Down and Beg: It's unfortunate to hear that those chapters didn't gel with you, but your criticism is noted. While Raven may be around now, that doesn't necessarily mean that's always the case, and someone as impatient as Yang may find it easier to do some searching anyways. And while Prim's addition may be seen as needless, it is a necessary one in my writing. As for the fights, part and parcel of a universe such as this one is that the main characters themselves are portrayed as having a decade or decades less experience than their enemies, which naturally makes the fights harder. Matching up to the main cast alone with a few years of training is considered challenging, and when you throw in the villains that's when things start looking bad.**

**Angeles22: Thanks for the compliment, and I hope your anticipation was well met. As you can see, it was indeed a bit of a monster to get through.**

**Carsonforgeel: There will indeed be asskicking, and much of it. The main question is by who.**

**Blueassassin996: Well, who knows if the ensuing fights could be classified as a smackdown, but Cinder usually appears to be unhappy of failure in any capacity, except when perpetrated by herself.**

**Kuriboh1233: There could be worse things to listen to. If you throw the 'What's New, Scooby Doo?' theme, now you've really got something on your hands.**

**The Keeper of Worlds: Tai does seem to be the easygoing and polite one. Even when the easygoing quality is set aside for a fight, there's no reason politeness can't continue though. And rest assured, the fight is sure to attract attention merely for how big it is.**

**Gizmo Gear: Yup, we're back to the point of explosive fights, before things cool off for a bit.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 05/11/2020**


	35. Chapter 32: Hold Out an Olive Branch

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: I'm free!...Well, free to the extent that everywhere is still locked down, but who's counting? Anyways, done with finals now, and looking forward to hopping back to writing. On that note, let's get to it.**

Chapter 32: Hold Out an Olive Branch

Chapter Date: 05/11/2020

'What's that saying? Never mess with the well-dressed? That's not a saying?'

"AAAAAAAAAH!"

'It should be!'

Mercifully, my screaming was interrupted by the faint sound of a scroll ringing, which resulted in Coco pausing in her assault to check the time. "Looks like that's time then. Look at that, you even managed to keep your shades intact! Thanks again for the workout, shades-buddy."

"Please…think of a better nickname for me…" I panted, pushing off my knees to eye the smirking second-year. With a flick of her wrist, Gianduja shifted back from a murderous gatling gun back into an unassuming handbag weighing _hundreds_ of pounds.

"No can do, we work with what we're given and there's not a lot you've got that isn't cramping up on my team's style." Coco shrugged, before turning towards the edge of the practice arena we were both on. "So, what'd you think, teach?"

"I think," Amber stepped onto the arena, "It's a good thing you stopped when you did, otherwise my ears would've started ringing from all the continuous fire from Gianduja. That, or all of Kouzai's screaming."

"Thanks for that," I grumbled, sheathing my weapons. It was entirely _not_ my fault that Coco Adel was a fearsome fighter in a one-on-one. At long range, Gianduja and Hype made for a very painful combination to face, and even at close range, the strength required to swing the damn weapon like a regular handbag, not to mention kick an _Alpha Beowolf_ into submission, was one hell of an obstacle. Even then, I could've possibly closed the distance and capitalized with Burst and Chronometry…except for the fact that such wasn't the purpose of the match. Instead, I was supposed to mimic _Cinder_ and her fighting style, using Mirror's Edge, Corona and Mortem to simulate her strategies. Despite only having the mental image of her style from the show and the brief glimpses of the fight against Amber and STRQ, and lacking a multi-purpose _Grimm arm_, my answers-to-all-strategies philosophy resonated with hers somehow.

"Eh, a healthy level of respect for Gianduja is never unappreciated," Coco acquiesced. "Though, I was asking more in line with the game plan. Ozpin said Beacon's supposedly had a run-in with her already, so you all would know best on how to tackle her, literally in some cases."

Amber's eyes narrowed, and I heard the soft scraping of metal as her robotic hand clenched. "I suppose _Beacon_ would be the authority on dealing with Cinder…from what I've seen so far, you have the firepower to keep her suppressed, for the most part. We still don't fully understand what that Grimm arm is capable of, so using Gianduja may not be a complete offensive solution. Not to mention, as a huntress-level opponent, Cinder is definitely fast enough to avoid attacks if need be and close in. From there, what close combat skills you have won't be enough to stave her off. The reason you managed it last time was due to the rest of your team being alongside you. Even a Huntsmen would have a difficult time facing full team of competent students. But if CFVY comes across her again, you'll need to be more than competent."

'More than competent doesn't exactly cover it, does it?' I thought back to the conversation I'd had shortly after my arrival back at Beacon…

… … …

"_Alright Ozpin, I'm hopped up on more painkillers than Qrow has alcohol in his flask, so you'll likely wanna make this quick before I spiral into gibberish." I propped myself up further in the medical ward bed I was in, facing the assembled group of badasses around me. Some part of me was tingling with nostalgia, but I'm pretty sure that was just the drugs._

_Qrow looked down at the flask strapped to his hip in confusion. "This thing's bone dry. The only reason I've still got it is 'cause it was a momento from a teammate."_

"_Exactly! So any drugs is more than no drugs!" I didn't get why they weren't getting it._

"_We acknowledge the hardship you have endured recently, and will seek to make our inquiries as swift as possible," Ozpin replied, glancing to his left and right where Goodwitch and Qrow were._

"_Great. First off, where's Tai? I heard he was fighting Adam Taurus at the docks. He didn't get hurt, right?" I looked around for anyone else occupying the beds around me, but they were all miraculously empty. Even Cardin appeared to have quickly recovered from the targeted face-pummeling I gave him._

_Ozpin smiled. "It is reassuring that despite your temporary reduced mental capacity, you are still focused on the well-being of others. Were that all potential Huntsmen held such a mindset. Rest assured, Mister Xiao Long is unharmed, and will likely be along to see you shortly. He is merely…watching over the well-being of one of our colleagues at the moment."_

"_Yeah, a particularly pissed off colleague." Squinting my eyes, I saw that Qrow looked very much worse for the wear, with his shirt looking closer to the tattered state it was in before getting together with Winter. His hair also looked like even more of a bird's nest than usual, and what looked suspiciously like soot caked his clothes, face and hair._

"_Nonetheless, we merely have a few questions that we believe you may be able to shed some light upon." Ozpin drew my attention back to him. "Chief among them being if possess any injuries beyond what Doctor Ted was able to glean. Beacon's medical professionals rank among the best on Remnant, but abundant caution is always advised."_

"_Hmm, nope. Just the tons of bruising, scrapes and cracked ribs."_

_Ozpin let out a relieved sigh. "That is wonderful news. Now, could you elaborate for us the events that occurred between Miss Scarlatina's exit from your battle with Mister Black and the other woman, and your subsequent rescue?"_

_I shrugged, before launching into the condensed version of all that had happened. When I mentioned my being used as a bargaining chip, Qrow's hand clenched and shook, and upon my reference to my eye color, Ozpin's eyes narrowed._

"_Most disturbing. It appears that whomever these individuals are, they are growing ever bolder in their attempts to satisfy their goals. In addition, your account of this Cinder Fall's…Grimm appendages, brings with it some very ominous tidings. Lastly, do you have any insights as to why you were the individual abducted for their scheme?"_

_My heart thumped loudly despite the numbing effects of the drugs I was on, creating a wonderful dissonance. "I'm not sure. When I asked Cinder some questions, she implied that she knew all the members of my team, along with Weiss at the very least." I paused, then took a risk. "There was also some talk about Blake and Ruby as well."_

"_Sonofa…" Qrow's voice was strained with anger, but Goodwitch fixed him with a stern look before turning to me._

"_Thank you for being forthright, Mr. Higure. I am aware of my indirect contribution to your being abducted, and sincerely apologize for such." Goodwitch looked sincerely regretful, yet resolved. "If there is any question that we can answer for you at this time, please ask. It is the least that we can do to make up for such a travesty."_

_For anyone who hadn't watched the show, this was the boon of a lifetime. Even with knowledge of Remnant though, it wouldn't hurt to cover my tracks. "Do you know who Cinder is working with? I know there was that green-haired girl, I think Emerald was her name, and that jackass Mercury. They also mentioned Neo and Roman Torchwick, but I'm not sure if there are any others."_

_Goodwitch and Qrow looked to Ozpin, who took a sip of his cocoa. "I'm sure it has already, or soon will, become common knowledge amongst the students, but it appears that this group of criminals is also in league with the White Fang, as well as their commander, Adam Taurus. However, beyond the individuals named, we are unsure if there are others working with them as well."_

_I sighed, disappointed with the lack of information but recognizing I likely wouldn't be getting names like Watts, Tyrian, Hazel or Salem. Instead, I tried for a different angle. "I know one of them mentioned information on Beacon, and that I was a bargaining chip. Is there someone or something at Beacon that these people are looking for?"_

_Ozpin's eyebrows raised almost unnoticeably, before his eyes crinkled a little with his face hidden behind his mug. "How very astute of you. You are correct, in that this band of criminals is seeking something that exists at Beacon Academy. What they seek, however, is information that I cannot readily disclose, for to do so would be to further jeopardize you and risk you being targeted again. I do hope you understand this."_

_I nodded, acknowledging that I was at the edge of the information I could get from them. Then the thought popped into my head. "If it's not too much trouble, I _do_ have a request, if you would be willing to grant it."_

_I could see the gears turning underneath Ozpin's silver hair. "Of course. If it is within the bounds of reason and our authority to grant it, I would appreciate the ability to recompense."_

_I grinned, perhaps a tad maliciously due to the painkillers. "Wonderful. Here's my request…"_

… … …

"Duly noted, teach." I came to again and saw that Coco's smirk had fallen away, recognizing the sober tone Amber was speaking with. "Don't worry, now that we know what's out there, Team CFVY won't be satisfied till we've got what it takes to settle the score. On that note though, I suppose that makes us even now, huh Kouzai?"

"If you're sure. Not that I exactly wanna go another round, but I _do_ owe you, all of you."

"Nah, it's fine. Between recovering and what everyone else has you doing, I wasn't gunning for much anyways. Though _some_ of them, though…" Coco's smirk returned. "You'll have your hands full."

"Don't remind me," I groaned, rotating my shoulders as my fellow team leader laughed. Even Amber spared an amused smile at my "plight."

After my swift and _very_ rough rescue from the warehouse, I and everyone else who'd come to save me were fast-tracked to Beacon's medical ward, where I was introduced to a man who looked stunningly like a certain not-doctor from the Borderlands series. It was there, while some of us were getting looked for potential and definite injuries, that the unholy trinity of Coco, Yang and Vernal met up. It took all of three minutes' talk before the trio came rushing over to my bedside, demanding _favors_ for my rescue.

Damnit Vernal…

Anyways, it took literally no time whatsoever for the idea to catch on. The only one who steadfastly refused to "cash in" was Jaune, who reasoned that my aid in saving Terra's life years back was good enough, like the saint he was. But he was the only one, and thus began an _interesting_ couple of weeks.

… … …

Some of the favors were easy.

"Wow, these look _amazing_! Can I really examine them?"

"It's what you requested, and you were the one to rally up your team to my aid, so it's the least I can do." I placed Mirror's Edge and Mortem down onto the worktable in front of Ruby, whose eyes were comically wide. "Just make sure that you keep any revelations to yourself. I wouldn't want anyone else stealing the designs or whatnot."

Ruby immediately switched to a look of incredible focus and nodded as she drew close to Mirror's Edge. "Of course. A weaponsmith's techniques and designs are their life and livelihood, so I would never-OHMYGODS!"

"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with my weapon?" I'd checked my weapons a dozen times over after the fight to make sure they were still in working order. 'Wait, what if they planted a bug on them?...or even a microscopic surveillance Grimm? Damnit, how much have they heard-"

"The nioi…the hamon pattern…this is Weylin the Smith's handiwork! But I heard he stopped making weapons years ago! How did you get one of his works?" Ruby's silver eyes looked at me, accusing me of the crime of not securing one of his pieces for her.

"Uhh…I convinced him to make us some weapons a few years back, otherwise Nora, Ren and I would've-"

"WHAAT!? So Magnhild and Stormflower are some of his works too? I have to get them all together and-GGGH!" Ruby's journey out of the workshop room was halted by my grabbing her cloak's hood, though her activating Petal Burst nearly pulled me off my feet.

"First, aren't you examining my weapons right now? There's time to ask Nora and Ren for theirs later. Second, there's also the fact that I'm not sure how comfortable they are lending their weapons for examination, given the whole 'your teams kinda hate each other' debacle." I winced as Ruby sagged and naturally adopted puppy-dog eyes. "Err, though maybe you'll all get along better now that you've fought beside one another."

"Maybe…" Ruby looked at me. "How come you're not uncomfortable with me examining your weapons then?"

"Well, for one thing, you, Jaune and I already came to the conclusion that us team leaders are enlightened individuals above such petty nonsense…at least with each other." I paused as Ruby giggled. "Also, seeing as you put Crescent Rose together all on your own, I trust that you have the know-how and integrity to treat Mirror's Edge and Mortem right. Pretty soon, I'm sure Nora and Ren will see it that way too."

Ruby brightened back up as she returned to the table. "You're right. I should take the time now to learn whatever I can about Weylin's techniques, to be better prepared for whenever I come across Magnhild and Stormflower." I laughed at Ruby's usage of 'when' rather than 'if', before she turned back. "Are you…still in contact with him?"

I brought out my scroll and showed her the screen. "Who, Weylin? I've got his number right-"

"_REALLY_!?" I winced as the walls rattled slightly. "You _have_ to help me meet him! Oh, pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease-"

"Hold on now, Ruby. Didn't you already request a favor from me?" My tone grew teasing as comprehension dawned on Ruby's face. "A meeting with a famous smith…that sounds pretty important, and you already asked me for a favor…"

"Butbutbut…" Ruby looked back and forth between my weapons and scroll. "What if I owe you a favor instead?"

"Hmmm…no dice…" Ruby's expression fell into an adorable pout, and I laughed. "Though, if I'm in your debt again, that might be something you could ask of me…"

Ruby's silver gaze could've melted steel with its focus. "Alright then! Just you wait, I'll make sure that you owe me again soon, and I'll get that meeting with Weylin. _Just you wait_!"

'I'm not sure whether to be touched, or very scared…'

… … …

Some of the favors were most definitely not.

After witnessing the short match between Cardin and I, Pyrrha, bashful as she was to ask for a favor, wanted an all-out sparring match with Burst and Chronometry on. To my credit, I was pressing her until my loss by Aura knock-out. To her credit, she didn't use Polarity to immediately fling Mirror's Edge and Corona out of the ring, which _maybe_ evened the odds.

"Hah…I see you've started…using your semblance more overtly…" I panted on the ground, staring up at the arena ceiling. Glancing back, I saw Pyrrha still on her feet, though with a faint sheen of sweat from the workout."

"Well, thanks to you, Jaune, Nora and Ren, I learned that I shouldn't be concerned with how others view my combat capabilities. I was already beginning to be viewed as an invincible fighter without my semblance becoming known, so what did it matter if I started using it in more obvious ways?" Pyrrha floated Milo and Akuou above her and slowly orbited them around her head. "Better to learn my limits with my semblance now, if I intended to become a huntress in the future."

"I hear that there are a few bullheads that might have a bone to pick with you though," I joked, causing the champion's concentration to falter briefly as her weapons hit the ground. "Looks like someone still needs a bit of work though."

"You…you would be the one to draw out my weaknesses so quickly and exploit them so causally." Pyrrha picked up her weapons, fighting down a visible tinge of embarrassment at the lapse. "Though, with such a splendid performance against me just now, why don't you display such capabilities in the spars, if only to test the limits of Chronometry?"

"The way I see it, the amount of Aura won't substantially increase regardless of the level of training done. And I _could_ focus on becoming more efficient with its usage, but I believe that falls more into the area of _how_ it's used. Thinking of the various applications for Aura is more of a mental exercise rather than a physical one, which is why I sometimes _do_ test out those techniques in the ring. Besides, like I told Goodwitch, you might not always be at peak Aura percentage, or have all your weapons, or even be fighting just one opponent. Case in point." Pyrrha nodded as I gestured to myself. "I think it's better to put yourself in a situation where you're doing unfamiliar things, or facing opponents in superior situations. That way, when it happens, and _it will_, you'll still have the knowledge and resolve to fight your way out."

"…You know, when Nora, and Ren, and your team informed me of your ability to fight in unfavorable situations, or when your Aura was low or even broken, I admit that I believed some of that was hyperbole. But after seeing the aftermath of your fight with Mercury Black, I realized that perhaps it was just the opposite." Pyrrha smiled at me. "Such resolve is difficult to acquire and possess. I hope that one day I can stand as resolutely as you do."

"You mean as stubbornly, because I'm pretty sure the two go hand in hand." We both shared a laugh as I climbed to my feet and grabbed Mirror's Edge. "If you want a crash course, I'll be happy to provide one. We still have Aura, after all. So why don't we just fight till one of us draws blood, or almost, at any rate?"

"That…" Pyrrha seemed uncertain for a moment, before green eyes flared with excitement. "That sounds _grand_."

'Ohhhh boy, I think I've just woken the beast…'

… … …

Some of the favors were convenient.

"Sooo, you just want me to accompany you and Ren around Vale all day?" I strolled down the sidewalk, behind my two oldest friends. "And you don't me to carry anything, or race across town, or fly into the Emerald Forest to smash Grimm?"

"That last one sounds _amazing_, but nope. Cause, you know, you're all banged up." Nora glanced back with a cheeky grin, before her turquoise eyes froze slightly. "Plus, we want you to sit back and watch in case anyone tries to mess with you again."

"What she means to say is that we believed that you might be seeking a break from Beacon, and we wished to share some of our time to relax with you." Stormflower popped out of Ren's sleeves for a moment. "Though, should anyone seek to attack you or any of our friends, we _will_ make our displeasure known."

"Well, thanks for having me then." I smirked right back at the happy couple. "Though, the dynamic's a little different now. Before, I could chime in with remarks on how dense you both were and how Solitas would sooner melt than you both make a move, but now that you're together, I'm just the _third wheel_." I sighed dramatically.

"Don't worry Kouzai, Rennie and I know how to keep the PDA to Nora-acceptable levels!" My face conveyed pure skepticism and confusion at the standard, before Nora rolled her eyes at me. "Also, we're not the only ones who are incredibly dense…"

"Nora, if this is another rerun of your 'Kouzai is a supreme flirter and half the girls that exist wanna get with him' theory, my brain will turn to mush. Need I remind you that Team RWBY came on the mission solely because of Ruby, _and_ that I'm buried up to my eyeballs in favors to everyone for being rescued?"

"We shall merely act in the role that you fulfilled in our years together, even if you're not quite at the stage where such comments get to you." Ren's tone remained light and lofty. "Just remember, neither of us is as oblivious as you believe us to be."

"I kind of doubt that, considering the ice age it took you two to confess. Seriously, a good third of my life went towards pushing you together."

"Keep up that kinda talk, and you'll just give me ideas about how to _repay_ you," Nora replied, and I wisely stopped speaking. "Not to mention, I still remember your credit card numbers. Working for Junior and his boss won't help much if you get on my bad side!"

"And isn't that a terrifying thought. Nora Valkyrie with access to a…" I trailed off, and stared at Ren for a moment. The pink-eyed boy stared back expressionlessly, before nodding once and continuing down the sidewalk with Nora.

'Huh…'

… … …

Some of the favors were…alright, they sucked.

WHAM

"_Fuck_! Remind me never to face you in Goodwitch's without my full arsenal!" I coughed before deflecting a powerful straight. Twisting, I jabbed outwards, before snapping my wrist sideways to hook Yang in the face. I gulped as lilac eyes blinked into red.

"Compliments won't save you." Pouring Aura into Chronometry, I weaved in and out of Yang's powered assault, but her gut punch from earlier twinged against my right side, giving Yang the opportunity to send a chopping right down across my jaw, forcing me into the arena floor as the buzzer rang.

"_Pain…great pain…mistakes were made…_" I peeled my face off the floor, rubbing my cheek as my Aura worked overtime to heal the bruise that I felt was there. Sitting up, I glanced up at a satisfied Yang towering above me, as burning red eyes faded back into light lilac. With a twirl, the brawler walked towards the edge of the ring where her water was.

"Hey. Catch." I turned and caught my own water as I hurtled towards my face. Glaring at the unapologetic culprit, my annoyance went unanswered as Yang returned back to the arena and sat down on the floor a few feet away. "You know, that was less satisfying than I thought it'd be."

"What, a close combat match _without_ Ember Celica doesn't cut it for you? Woe befall the man who gets on your bad side. Oh wait, that's me." Yang looked over dryly as I smirked in return, before nursing my cheek. "So, you got your match with me? Was beating me not up to your expectations?"

"Chatty, aren't you? Though, that seems to be the default with you…" Yang looked up towards the arena ceiling. "Maybe it was just me holding onto some lingering irritation at you that made me do this. But, if Dad likes you, and Qrow likes you, and Ruby likes you, and hell, even _Raven's_ spoken about you…maybe you're not awful."

"That's the five-star rating I was looking for," I joked, before looking Yang in the eye. "In all seriousness though, I meant what I said months back. I really _don't_ have any idea of where Raven is, and I _definitely_ didn't know that she went straight years ago."

"…That's alright. I guess I was just annoyed at how free-spirited she is." Yang had the decency to look self-conscious at my flat look. "Yes, I know how that sounds coming from _me_. But the fact of the matter is, she was able to abandon all the ties that she'd built up for years, just like that, and then stay away for over a decade…there was a lot of work through and unpack when she came back. Even now, she travels for her 'business', and goes off the grid. So, to hear that some stranger had met her…that was annoying. Tack on that bit with the Dust robbery…point is, things have maybe been on me just as much as they have you."

"You've got the right to dislike me if you so choose. I'll be the first to admit that my sudden departure after helping Ruby out wasn't exactly gallant, and if I had the option to do it again I'd stick around. Though, I do think you'll agree with me that dealing with Goodwitch isn't exactly a walk in the park." We both shuddered. "If you have it in you though, I think that I'd like the chance to be friends with you, and just maybe, we can head out to Junior's next time without you socking me." I stood up and extended a hand down to Yang.

Yang smirked, and took the hand. "Heh, not a bad plan for someone all wrapped in doom and gloom." Pulling herself up, she grasped my hand much harder as her eyes took on the red hue again. "But I'll be clear. Abandon my sister or anyone I care about again, and I'll find you."

"First, I'm pretty sure that Ruby herself would get to me faster than you would. Noted, though." Her furious visage fell away into lightheartedness again as she sauntered off with a wave. Watching her walk off, my scroll rang with a notification, and I got dressed.

"That time again, huh?" Heading out of the academic building, I headed for one of the lesser-used buildings on the academy grounds, though the structure was no less sturdy and functional. Heading inside, I was greeted with the sight of Ozpin and Qrow. "Do Professors Goodwitch and Autumn have class at the moment?"

"Got it in one," Qrow replied, cutting off for a moment as a faint howl cut through the room. "Let's get this over with quick Oz, I don't like being in here the slightest."

"Take comfort in the precautions we have taken Qrow. The Hard-Light Dust barrier, along with other numerous security measures ensure that no creature, Grimm or otherwise can escape the building's confines."

"It's not the Grimm I'm worried about Oz. It's the 'otherwise' that you've lumped in _with_ the Grimm."

"The thought is perhaps not a pleasant one, but such circumstances happen quite rarely. One can only hope that the need for them is outweighed by their potential utility." Ozpin's serious gaze fixed onto me. "Are you ready for today's session? Need I repeat the stipulations laid out in order to facilitate these events?"

"I've got 'em memorized, Headmaster. You and Qrow can head to wherever you need to and watch from there. I'm sure this'll be as short as the other few visits." I watched Ozpin nod, and him and Qrow walk off towards wherever the security room was. Turning, I walked down the hallway, before turning down another corridor to the right. As I passed by the various doors, faint sounds emanated past soundproof walls and the faint hum of Hard-Light Dust. Eventually, I reached the same door as usual, and placed the keycard I'd been given into the slot. With a click, the door unlocked and I walked into the room, hearing the hydraulics seal behind me. Walking forward, I placed my bag down and took a seat at a table on my side of the room, illuminated by the glow of the pale blue barrier ten feet from my position.

"Afternoon. Thought I'd pay you another visit. I'm sure we've got a lot to talk about, if you're open to it." I laid my hands on the table, and stared into the other side of the room, where a figure lounged in a chair.

"Gods, you _just don't learn_, do you?" Mercury's gaze went from the ceiling over towards me. "Fine, I'll bite. What's up?"

… … …

"I am unhappy, Cinder."

Salem watched as Cinder writhed before her Seer, the displeasure she was feeling being conveyed to her minion's Grimm gifts. "Despite giving you the agency to act after your ambush was a failure, you return to me with reports of defeat."

"Mistress, I would like to add-"

"About your theft of some Dust, miniscule as it was? Hmm? Watts has seen fit to inform me of your 'success', meager as it was. Which is why…" Cinder's movements stilled as the pain subsided, and Salem waited until she looked back at the Seer. "I am giving you one more chance to deliver the Maiden and Relic. However, it will be through a plan of my own, and you will be aided this time."

"Yes, Mistress…what would you have me do?"

Salem smiled. "Here is my proposal."

**A/N: I was toying around with the idea of jumping right into Volume 2 as planned, but I felt that the story warranted some fluff and development to bridge any gaps. Also, it's quite an exercise in character imagination to envision and write conversations between characters, especially between pairs and groups with no history in the show. But anyways, looks like Kouzai's made it out of the woods, at least with his friends. For any adult with a modicum of authority or influence? Ha ha, yeah…this'll be interesting. Now for reviews.**

**Fuyuki365: Thanks for the well wishes, and rest assured that I will not be overworking, especially in the current circumstances. By the same token, a little repetition and scheduling goes a long way in keeping the monotony out.**

**Anzafay21: It's always good to hear that someone enjoyed the writing thus far, so thanks for that. I aim to continue bringing the story to interesting paths, and Kouzai is definitely aiming to get stronger, too.**

**AlexFalTon: Some forethought was required to figure out who best went against who and who made the most sense to be where, like how Adam and Roman are known quantities in these robberies, or how Tai is not letting his daughters out of his sight during a dangerous mission. Roman and Junior's alignments will definitely be causing some friction, and we'll have to see how things shake out. As for Mercury, he definitely wasn't one of Salem's lieutenants, but he was likely known to her, considering how much Cinder reported to Salem about her plans. And while he is a minion of Cinder, her prohibitively-high expectations means that whoever she approaches and acquires is damn good at what they do, like stealing or murdering.**

**Raidentensho: Mercury definitely won't be written off in any manner, and he'll be around, for better or worse. What results from that depends on what the characters decide to do.**

**Gizmo Gear: Well, asskicking is always satisfying to write. When it's Kouzai's ass getting kicked though that's a bit less satisfying, but that only makes eventual victory that much better.**

**P.S. The Avatar series hits Netflix on Friday, which is sure to screw around with my productivity, haha. See you all on Monday!**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 05/18/2020**


	36. Chapter 33: It's Easy to be Wise

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Happy Tuesday all! First time I'm really updating on this day, so we'll see how the numbers look. In any event, thanks to the readers waiting on me. Also on another note, with Memorial Day weekend coming up, I hope that those who are partaking in any festivities stay safe with a myriad of things opening up.**

Chapter 33: It's Easy to be Wise

Chapter Date: 05/18/2020

Mercury Black lazed around in a chair beyond the Dust barrier, affixing me with a bored look. "So? Come to pump me for information, or are you here to gloat? Oooh, how about talking to me so I can realize the error of my ways." He rolled his eyes at the last part of the statement.

"None of those, I suppose. More along the lines of some general things, even the mundane. I don't think I really qualify as a bona fide interrogator anyways." I rubbed the back of my neck, then paused when Mercury started laughing.

"Oh, this is just _sad_…how on Remnant did I end up losing to you?" After a moment, the assassin's laughter died off and he gestured downwards. "You wanna talk mundane? How about providing me a pair of prosthetics so I don't have to wheel around like a cripple, huh?"

"It's not up to me, but even if it were, you're a kicking-based fighter; if the barrier happens to malfunction or gets sabotaged, better to have you in a more nonthreatening state. The facility you're in now is also equipped to handle your disability."

"Doesn't make it any less demeaning."

"…No, it doesn't. Then again, ambushing and kidnapping me to use as a hostage wasn't exactly an ego booster either."

"Nice try. If that was your best to dig for clues, you're still green." Mercury scoffed.

"Alright then, let's talk about things that we _don't_ need any clues from. What was it like growing up with your father in Mistral?" Mercury's only answer was a raised eyebrow, to which I gestured with my hands out. "I grew up in Mistral too, as I already mentioned. It wasn't hard to come across tales of an infamous assassin specializing in hand-to-hand combat, one Marcus Black, who also incidentally happened to be found dead quite recently. All it took was some DNA samples off you and him, a little testing, and bingo, we've got his missing sitting right here."

"Doesn't sound like there was much of a question there, and I'm not getting psychoanalyzed by anyone, least of all you."

"Fair point. I probably wouldn't be very good at it." I shrugged, noting Mercury's curious eye. "If you suffered a tragedy in your life, which I'm guessing you did judging by the examination of your legs, I can't attempt to empathize because I haven't experienced such a level of misfortune. I know a couple people who might be in that boat, but well, it's just you and I here."

"And the people who'll be watching the recordings."

"True. Well, if you'd rather not touch on anything from the past, let's head to the future then, specifically about your pals at the docks and warehouse." Mercury opened his mouth and I waved a hand. "Yes yes, you're not giving information about them and they're not your pals, especially that green-haired bitch. So, let's talk messages then. If Beacon sees them again, and considering their actions so far, they will, anything you want passed along to them? Personally, I'm preferential to a punch or kick, but I understand if things need to be more personalized."

"Nothing. That's the message."

"Nothing, as in you have nothing to say to them?" The gears clicked in my head. "Or nothing, because you don't want to let them know that we have you?" Mercury stiffened nearly imperceptibly, before wheeling around and heading towards his bed. I took the dismissal for what it was, and gathered up my things to leave, before pausing by the door.

"…I'll ask about getting you a pair of regular prosthetics, but it's kind of a long shot on my end. See you around, Mercury." The door shut behind me, and I walked back down the hall towards the main entrance of the building. After a couple minutes, I was again greeted with the sight of Ozpin and Qrow waiting. "Told you I wasn't getting much from him, even with the conversation topics you gave me."

"On the contrary, Mr. Higure. Thanks to your conversation, we are more certain of the belief that Mr. Black was educated in the basics of interrogation, either through secondhand accounts or personal experience. We also learned that this Cinder Fall is ruthless in her prevention of potential information leaks, and would likely seek to silence Mercury by any means necessary should his location be discovered. In addition, there is also the information that Mr. Black's time within the facility is wearing on his patience and fortitude, and subjects such as his childhood and especially his father appear to aggravate that." Ozpin took a sip from his mug. "There was a good deal gleaned from underneath the bluster and biting remarks."

"Look, about the whole patience and custody thing, couldn't you just set him up with a set of prosthetics, even just something with low structural integrity? He's a pretty good fighter that admittedly played pinball with me during our fight, but a little accommodation wouldn't hurt." I mean, Mercury was a bit of an asshole, but he was already thrice locked-up and surrounded by captured Grimm.

"May not be the wisest play security-wise, but can't fault the kid for wanting a little walkabout, if only to keep from going stir-crazy." Qrow mused, with a hand on his stubble. "Oz and I will think on it. In the meantime, not a bad job, and remember to keep these visits all hush-hush."

"On that note, who exactly is aware of Mercury's status here in Beacon, and who knows about my visiting him? It'll be helpful to know who I can and can't speak to about this at times." I was already juggling about a million private factoids.

"In terms of the former, that knowledge is extended to the Council of Vale, the faculty here at Beacon, Qrow and Taiyang, and some of my closest allies such as the headmasters of the other academies." I froze at the mention of the other headmasters, but Ozpin was continuing on. "As for the latter, knowledge of your visits is held by Qrow and I, along with Taiyang and Glynda. Results from your meetings may be sent to others in due time, thereby potentially revealing your involvement, but I see no reason as to why your identity would be information that they would need to know."

'Welp, with Lionheart having a direct line to Salem, there's a crap ton to worry about there! So please keep my name out of it for all of eternity, please and thank you!' I was so busy trying to keep a cold sweat from breaking out that I almost missed what Qrow said.

"-So Jimmy might wanna meet the kid in a few weeks time once he gets here." Qrow finished with a look at me, to which I looked at Ozpin.

"Hmm, Qrow may be correct, as General Ironwood would likely take an interest in meeting with you, if at the very least to hear your account of events due to this mysterious group's involvement with Roman Torchwick and the White Fang. Rest assured however, that we will notify you of the potential of such an event happening and you will be excused from lessons should such become necessary." The bell sounded in the distance, and Opzin's eyes twinkled. "Well now, it appears that you should return back to the campus proper, lest your teammates, friends, and _enemies_ come looking for you."

"Hehe, good on ya for surviving a fistfight with Yang, and you can feel safe knowing that there are no recordings of it _whatsoever_." Qrow made no attempts to hide his messaging a video file to Tai and Raven from the other side of the _clear_ scroll screen. "Now, get going before you get swamped with more female attention. I swear, some guys have all the luck."

"Qrow, one of my teammates is a lesbian, the other two are my boss' daughters, my female friends are either in relationships or are your relatives, and the others are openly hostile with me."

"All the luck…"

… … …

"So Kouzai, what did Professor Ozpin want with you, anyways?" Ruby asked in between bites of strawberries. "Because you've been meeting up with him a lot recently, sometimes even during the leadership class."

The table not-so-subtly leaned in to hear my response, including the new additions of team RWBY. Although Weiss and Blake were still reluctant additions towards the end of the table, Ruby and a begrudging Yang had joined in on the comradery that was JNPR, CFVY and KMMI sitting together. And by comradery, I meant 'sideshow constantly about five comments and one bad idea away from blowing up'. Things were even more volatile now that Ruby and Yang were included into the mix that was Nora, the twins and _Coco_.

Back to the matter at hand though. "It's about some of the stuff that happened during the time I was abducted." Not untrue. "Ozpin's looking to put together some information that might be useful when tracking down those involved." Also correct.

"Huh, that was more straightforward than I expected. Lame." Yang swallowed her food before turning to Weiss. "Though, it's probably good to hear that Ozpin's giving the investigation proper attention, especially if the White Fang's involved, right Weiss?"

I looked over, confused, as Weiss replied, "Indeed, I am quite satisfied by the level of effort that the headmaster appears to be putting forward in searching for those responsible for these crimes, be they the White Fang, Roman Torchwick or this Cinder Fall."

"Don't forget about that umbrella chick. I'm putting my nose to the grindstone, and next time we meet, I'll pound the smirk off her face, along with a few teeth." Yang took a characteristically vigorous bite of her steak, drawing complaints from Weiss about her table manners. That conversation fell into the background though as I focused on something that'd been missing.

'Of course, Weiss _should_ be concerned about the White Fang, but there's someone else that should be more…' A look over to the end of the table showed one Blake Belladona focusing very strongly on her food, and _not_ at meeting my gaze. Eventually though, she lifted her head up and caught my stare, before amber eyes widened with a slow shake of her head.

'Concerned…oh…_oh damn_, _still_?' I polished off my plate, before standing up. "Man, I could go for a plate of sushi. Anyone else wanna join me?" Familiar with everyone else's usual dietary habits and proclivities at this point, I knew that none of the people who might usually be in the mood for it had the space left on their plates and appetites for it…except one particular fish-lover.

"Sure." Blake slowly rose out the seat and joined me, and despite the clear awkward tension in the air we both headed for the line. As soon as we were apparently out of Ilia's and Fox's earshot, Blake glared at me. "Could you be any more obvious? Also, it's kind of bigoted to just _assume_ that I like fish."

"Okay, first, I heard that you like fish from Ruby," I lied out my front teeth. "And second, you're _already_ kind of obvious. Seriously, it's amazing that apparently no one but Ilia and I know about you. On that note, _why_ does no one else know, especially your teammates?"

"This is _not_ the time for this conversation!" Blake hissed as we neared the food displays.

"Considering how much you love to _run_, finding time in the first place is a miracle unto itself." I shot back, before calming down. "Look, it should be pretty clear at this point that your team doesn't care about _that_. Weiss was the only uncertain one, and I think the events at the docks, along with all our teams being there, proves that even she knows that there's Faunus fighting on both sides of the law, just like there are humans. So, what's the issue?"

"…" Blake was silent for a moment at she picked some of her sushi, though her bow was twitching slightly, really only noticeable if you were looking for it. "I…think I might have missed my window to do so. Now that the White Fang is confirmed to be working with people like Roman Torchwick, it'll look bad no matter what I say when I tell them about me."

If the conversation got any more aggravating, I'd need more sushi. "And you think that the fact that you left them before all this partnership business happened won't count for anything with them? Or your whole explanation as to why you were part of the organization in the first place, Ms. _Belladona_?" Blake flinched at the emphasis on her last name, and I sighed. "At least don't tell me that you were planning on hiding it forever, or even for the duration of your time at Beacon. You're literally one bad incident with Fire Dust away from being outed."

Amber eyes narrowed to slits. "_I, know_. I just…needed a little more time, to come to them with some explanation and evidence of why I left when I did, why I stayed when I did, all of it."

There was a sinking feeling that did wonders for my appetite. "Oh no…no no no, you're not gonna do something _extremely_ _reckless_ like track down the White Fang…right?"

Blake faced away from me and squared her shoulders, her plate in her hands. "We've got a break coming up, and I plan on using that time to do some research. After break is done, I'll have something for when I tell the rest of my team."

"Oh come on, you're not serious…Blake!" I swept out an arm to try and grasp her shoulder, but she broke away from the line with fluid grace and walked ahead back to the table. 'Damnit, I _just_ got out of a mess involving the evil trifecta, and now Blake wants to throw herself headfirst back in, and likely deliver herself to Adam on a silver platter?'

"What was that all about? You two seemed pretty heated in line," Coco commented as I returned to the table.

"…Blake ended up taking all the good cuts of tuna, and wouldn't split any with me." I wasn't sure whether to be relieved or insulted as how easily the table seemed to buy that explanation.

"Well that's relief." Nora grinned mischievously. "And here some of us were thinking that you were trying put the moves on her instead."

My jaw dropped, though the twins were very much in tune with Nora.

"Makes sense. Both of them wear a lot of black and are pretty broody," Melanie commented offhandedly, though her eyes were glinting with playful malice.

"How adorable. It would be like Beauty and the Beast," Miltia added.

'Right reference, _wrong_ comparison! How the hell do I-"

"_Absolutely not!_" The simultaneous shouts rang out as Yang and Ilia looked at one another across the table, before realizing what'd they said and focusing back quite quickly on their food.

"Oh, that reminds me, if everyone has time over the break, you can all stop by Patch and come to our house!" Ruby cheered, drawing the attention over to her. "Weiss, Uncle Qrow and Weiss's sister Winter are already staying over during the break, so there won't really be a lot of room for the whole break, but if everyone would like to meet up during that time, my dad and I would love to have you all."

"That sounds lovely. I've been meaning to visit Patch as I've heard it's a wonderful scenic island, and I've been acquainted with a few such spots in Vale thanks to Jaune," Pyrrha replied, with Jaune nodding his assent.

"Hmm, a chance to visit one of the other Valean combat schools? I'm in," Coco added.

"A vacation from our vacation. I like it," said Melanie.

Nora jumped up on her seat. "PAAAARRRTTTYY!"

As the rest gave their confirmation, I noted the one member of team RWBY who wouldn't be staying over on Patch, though she steadfastly refused to meet my gaze this time. After a few seconds, I realized that Yang was speaking. "…And on that note, you sure you don't want any pointers on dealing with Qrow, Weissy? You and him'll be in the same house for a while, after all."

"While Qrow Branwen is quite a _unique_ individual and huntsman, I am sure that if my sister is able to enjoy his company, then I am capable of at the very least tolerating him." Weiss primly cut some of her food. "As such, I will not be requiring your help in this matter."

… … …

"I require your help in a matter."

I looked up from the library desk and to the side, seeing the imperious face of Weiss waiting expectantly. I closed my book, predicting that work for the day was done. "And what would you ask of this humble student?"

"Don't be sassy now," Weiss growled. "You should be fortunate that I am using your favor to me for such a task, but I feel that it warrants the proper attention and preparation."

"And that is?"

"I wish to…learn the mannerisms of Qrow Branwen, so that I might better understand Winter's attraction to him and Ruby and Yang's enjoyment of his presence."

"Soo…you wanna learn about Qrow so that you can get along with Winter, Ruby and Yang better?"

"Fine, yes, just help me already!" Weiss hissed, noting the careful threshold of sound.

"Hmm…" I thought it over for a second, knowing that it was a favor that I was required to grant. But… "I'll give you the rundown on Qrow, if you tell me something in return."

"Whaa-that's not how a favor works, you imbecile!"

"True, but just think it like advance payment for future services. Sure, I can help you out with Qrow now, but with Ruby liking hanging out with us and Yang not hating me, your team will have to get used to ours or risk upsetting Ruby. And I'm sure you don't want that." I waited patiently for about ten seconds as Weiss muttered something about 'stupid puppy eyes' under her breath before I continued. "So, think of it as an advance towards helping our groups get along better."

"…How shrewd of you. And what exactly is the information you seek?"

"Tell me about your prep school days in Atlas, before all the tutoring." Weiss' eyes narrowed as she tried to guess my game, but I held firm. After about a minute, she nodded.

"Very well. Though if a single shred of that information finds its way into some ridiculous exaggerated tabloid story, I will level an entire shipment of Dust on you."

"Ha ha, such a kidder. Let's get talking about Qrow, and _not_ on excruciatingly painful and expensive ways to kill me." Weiss took a seat my table, and I thought for a second. "Alrighty, where to start?"

"How about how he and my sister…got together, and how you apparently played a part in that."

"Way to start it off with a bang…alright, I'm not _exactly_ sure on the how and when, but from the talks I've had with Qrow things kind of started a couple years back, after Nora, Ren and I helped resolve a little family issue of his, along with the much larger issue of a swarm of Grimm attacking a village in Mistral." I enjoyed the sight of Weiss' eyes comically widening before I continued. "Long story short, I told the man afterwards to have a chat with the people in his life, and especially the ones he wanted around and who wanted him around. Turns out, a couple years before that, I actually spoke with your sister on following on one's gut instinct at times, and how a leap of faith may be required."

"And those conversations facilitated their first meeting leading to a positive acquaintanceship, which led further once Qrow was able to acknowledge his own feelings regarding others," Weiss finished as I nodded. "Perhaps your involvement in their relationship was not as direct as I anticipated."

"Judging by the fact that I'm many years younger than either of them, I'd hope it didn't take a teenager playing matchmaker to get them together," I drawled, and Weiss cracked a hint of a smile. "In any event, what else do you need to know?"

"I am…aware of some of his faults, as an evaluator of his worth and benefit to my sister." Weiss ignored my scoff. "I suppose I am seeking to understand his positive traits that endear him to those around him, so that I may seek to outweigh the negative with the positive."

"Well, that's more subjective opinion left up to Ruby, Yang and Winter, but I can give the explanation a shot. For Ruby and Yang, he's the 'cool' relative, someone who can both flaunt tradition and regulation and yet be successful and admired by others. Some of that success and admiration is _because_ of that flexible mindset, and some if the perseverance needed to establish oneself outside the box in the first place. Most of all, from what I've seen of him, he's fiercely loyal and devoted to those he cares for, and would do nearly anything for his dear nieces." I paused to let that soak in for Weiss, who was attempting the reconcile the image. "I imagine much of the same attributes are what draws Winter to him, though his loyalty may be replaced by love. He's also willing to listen to problems, and his solutions and opinions come with the experience of decades of hard work, and at times, suffering. The ability to make it through what he has, and still remain as whole as he is, is both a testament to the effect that the love others have for him has, as well as the fortitude he has to protect that love."

"I…suppose I didn't view things in that way, or perhaps that I didn't _want_ to," Weiss murmured. "Thank you for the explanation. It was illuminating, and speaks to his positive attributes, as well as yours."

"Mine? Didn't you nearly chastise me five minute earlier for suggesting an equivalent exchange?"

"Hush, you! Hah, as I was saying, yes, you gave an explanation on his positive traits, but you also understand that he possesses these traits. That means that either you are intuitive and observant enough to glean his character, or that you are held in such confidence by those who _do_ know him. And that itself is also an example of your character." Weiss fell silent, and her eyes appeared to gaze off into the distance. "You wished to know about my preparatory school experiences?"

"Yup. Causes, classes, incidents, when it all ended. The general shebang."

"…I had actually attended school in Atlas since I was five, and that continued until I was in middle school. The classes were fine, and full of rich, entitled heirs to some of the largest companies and corporations in the world." Weiss stopped to acknowledge my flat stare. "Yes, I know how that sounds coming from _me_, but that doesn't mean that they weren't. Still though, as the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, I was the figurehead by which most of the other children set to measure themselves."

"And when did that all end?"

Weiss turned to face me, her eyes hollow for a moment. "When the White Fang turned violent. For years beforehand, I had heard rants and tirades from my father about the arrogance and ignorance that was the Faunus advocating for their rights, something that had already caused a rift in my family. Then, five years ago, the White Fang began their new stratagem of extremism, and attacks began occurring. Still, I was allowed to attend school in order to 'build influence and connections'. But when the family friends began disappearing, the board members began getting executed, the target that was on my family's back became too prominent to ignore. And so, I was removed from the school system, and spent the remainder of my adolescence being tutored in my family's estate, eventually deciding to become a huntress."

I nodded, the narrative of events checking out with what had been described in the show, but I was searching for something a little more. "So before the White Fang turned violent, did you have negative interactions with any Faunus at your school or outside of it?" I knew exactly what kind of school Weiss had likely attended, but I was fishing at this point and feigning ignorance.

"The schools that I attended in Atlas were…biased, in the kinds of students they let in, so interactions with Faunus were few and far between. Although…" Weiss' brow furrowed. "There was a girl in my class who was revealed to be a Faunus after a mining accident where her parents died. The other students laughed at her misfortune, to which she retaliated by beating them before disappearing."

"And were you against such a display of violence by a Faunus?"

Weiss glared at me. "Do I fault an emotional teenager for punishing those who laughed at her parents' deaths? No, I do not. She was a lovely girl during the times that I spoke to her. She just happened to suffer a tragedy, and happened to be a Faunus."

I sat there mulling over her words as Weiss stood up. "Thank you for the insight into Qrow, as well as yourself. I cannot say that was a pleasant conversation at times, but it was enlightening. Good luck with your studying." As Weiss departed, I looked past my table towards another table a few rows down. Amber eyes shined back at me, and I sighed.

'Just my luck…these next few weeks are gonna suck…'

**A/N: Ah, Blake…worry not, this story isn't turning into a Blake-centric fic or anything of that nature. It's just that, given the progression of events, and the fact that the majority of plot events in the first three volumes was singularly driven by Blake, it means that there will be more involvement from everyone's favorite Faunus than last volume. Now for reviews.**

**Gizmo Gear: Yup, that's the philosophy of Bruce Lee which Kouzai swears by.**

**Anzafay21: Weapon mods would be nice for Kouzai, though we'll have to see what Ruby and/or Kouzai may have planned.**

**AlexFalTon: Well, some distance exists between getting along and tolerating. Where Kouzai lies on that spectrum remains to be seen, but rest assured that a pairing with Yang does not appear to be in the cards. If such a thing ends up happening, it will blindside me as the writer just as much as it does you. And the distinction is likely if Salem is ever up to doing good, instead of the other way around, haha.**

**Blueassassin996: Fear the individual with a wealth of experience. Have nightmares of the one with **_**all**_** the exerperience.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 05/25/20**


	37. Chapter 34: A Ship in the Harbor

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: I cannot believe that it's already the last Monday of May. Give it another couple weeks and it'll mark just about the three month mark for when the virus started all the quarantine and social distancing measures. I hope that things shape up going forward and that those setting the pace to reopen take caution of what a false start could bring.**

Chapter 34: A Ship in the Harbor

Chapter Date: 05/25/20

"Do they have pancakes?"

"Nora, I've already answered that about a dozen times _today_."

"Fearless leader, this is essential to my continued survival. _Do they have pancakes_?"

"Hah…yes Nora, Domremy has pancakes. And my family can certainly make-"

"SOLD! C'mon Ren, we're gonna be late!"

Nora grabbed Ren's bag off of him, slung it on her shoulder next to her own, and dashed off towards the bullheads. Meanwhile, the rest of JNPR and I were still hundreds of yards back.

"Jaune, with the greatest respect given to your village, I'm not sure if Domremy is ready to handle Nora for a few weeks."

"It'll be fine Kouzai. If the village could take my sisters growing up, it can handle Nora. Or at the very least, my parents and sisters can."

"Don't I know it," I groaned, harkening back to the thrashing that Jaune's eldest sister Rouge gave Nora, Ren and I years prior. "Speaking of which, someone record the next spar between Rouge and Pyrrha. I'm sure you'll be able to sell the movie rights for the next blockbuster."

"I believe that you're exaggerating my level of skill, Kouzai." Pyrrha blushed a little, though her eyes were twinkling. "However, I do profess to being interested in measuring my progress against your sister again, Jaune."

"Aaand that's where we differ, Pyrrha. I'll work my way up the ladder first before challenging an actual huntress, thank you very much." We all laughed before I turned to Ren. "You think that you and Nora will remain there for the duration of our break?"

"I expect that the prospect of a peaceful village on the outskirts will be appealing enough to keep Nora and I in Domremy for the majority of our time." Ren smiled, conveying his clear delight. "That said, peace and Nora tend to be mutually exclusive concepts, so the likelihood of returning to Vale before the end is high."

"Alright, well, don't go clearing the whole countryside of Grimm, otherwise we'll have slim pickings for missions come next semester." I grinned. "I'll be sure to hold down the fort in sleepy Vale while Beacon's best first years are gone."

"My ears were tingling," A voice sang, and we turned to see Yang approaching, followed by the rest of team RWBY. The entourage of white luggage carried by all three denoted who the items belonged to. "You can't have a talk about Beacon's best without including yours truly, after all."

"Such confidence when speaking to the team with the first, second and fourth ranked first years," I droned, taking some degree of satisfaction at catching Yang temporarily flat-footed with the comment. True to form though, the brawler gracefully recovered.

"Right back at you, coming from the team leader ranked tenth." Thankfully, the comeback was lacking Yang's previous bite, and we both smirked at one another. "So your whole team is staying in Vale proper then?"

"Well, Miltia and Melanie are already starting their bender at Junior's to make up for lost time, which will keep them occupied for quite a while. Meanwhile, most of us already have places in Vale, and it makes the most sense for Ilia to crash with one of us." I made a show of glancing at RWBY. "Besides, we've gotta stay close so that fights between Weiss, Qrow, Winter and Vernal won't spill over out of Patch."

"Hey! I have already promised to be on my most proper behavior," Weiss pouted. "Although, it will certainly be an adjustment having to deal with your uncle for weeks, not to mention all of Vernal's mannerisms and proclivities."

"It's alright, Weiss. Dad's told me that Vernal's been told by Raven to stay in line, so she won't try to pick any fights." Ruby's silver eyes slid over to me. "Well, maybe with Kouzai, but that's normal."

"It really shouldn't be," I pleaded as everyone laughed either with me or at me. "That not how you shold be treating the guy who's keeping Vale intact."

That comment was met with further giggles and some flat stares. "Kouzai, we literally had to save you from a group of criminals, and the ensuing battle nearly demolished the docks."

"I stand by what I said," I joked and folded my arms obstinately, before beginning to wave the groups off towards their respective bullheads. As the groups peeled away, I was left with a subtly fidgeting Blake, determinedly trying not to make eye contact. Sighing, I turned and began walking back towards Beacon. "There goes your team, who are the people most understanding of your situation."

Heels clacked as Blake whirled around, amber-eyed glare on display. "Easy for you to say. I'm not the one on a team full of criminals."

"Ex-criminals. Well, mostly," I conceded, looking back at Blake. "But then again, _I'm_ not the one on a team of some of the most compassionate people in Beacon."

Her glare turned to a scowl, and Blake stalked past me towards the school. "Just leave me alone, and let me take care of things my own way. You _owe_ me for not saying anything about who you are."

'That kind of tracks both ways, Ms. Belladona…' I didn't call her out on it though, and instead sent a text out, making the trek back to campus in silence as I kept my eyes on a familiar rooftop.

… … …

"You know, this is the first time that you've been the one to initiate the conversation. I would congratulate you for properly making use of your resources, but I shouldn't be complimenting you for making demands of a deity." Prim was already speaking as I opened the door to the rooftop. "So, come to ask more pointless questions?"

"No. I guess I caught onto what you were talking about right before I got kidnapped." I looked at Prim's face, searching for a hint of a reaction and predictably found none. "You were referring to the events of the show as a script, something written in shown in such a way that it was those precise actions that led to that outcome. That's not the case anymore, or likely never was, with me here."

Prim nodded sagely. "Better late catching on than never, I suppose. The events in the canon show were all well and good for a piece of entertainment, but they still relied on being woven together in such an exact way. And oftentimes, people that in all honesty should've passed or become deceased were found to have survived, all thanks to the phenomenon called plot."

"And here, there's none of that." I finished. "My inclusion in this Remnant or not, things might not have gone the way they did the show, but me having done what I did has derailed that which was put together. Meaning, people that were killed or passed in the show can be saved here-"

"And those integral individuals with plot armor have no such protections now." Prim finished for me this time. "Now you get it. There are no more predetermined battles, no events guaranteed to occur. It's just you, and the path that both you laid out and was laid out for you."

"Thanks for the ominous phrasing, real good pep talk," I grumbled. "I'm _definitely_ not feeling the weight on my shoulders now." I looked up from the ground at the sound of Prim's melodious laughter.

"Oh, sorry. It's just ironic that you had so many strong opinions of how calculating Ozpin was with his decisions, but you only now realize the weight and gravity of what he was dealing with in a sense. There is no guarantees with your actions, and any move you make might send someone to their death." Prim's looked softened. "But that what makes you different from him and the witch as well. You've only got the one life, same as every other piece you have. Ozpin and Salem have either become desensitized to or frankly disregard the permanency of the lives they hold, but you can't, and that gives you a legitimacy that they lack."

"And also means that I can't play the long game like they can, or at all frankly." I ran my hand through my dark hair. "Unless a protracted stalemate or ceasefire is reached, hell on Remnant is coming within the year, which means I have to start making bigger moves."

"But not obvious ones. What? We both know that you don't have even a fraction of the resources that either of the immortals do, and any attempts to bodily force yourself into their game will end with you summarily crushed." Prim shrugged at my flat look. "So, make more dramatic moves, but make them subtle."

"Great, so make bigger decisions with people's lives in the balance. Easy," I drawled sarcastically, putting a hand over my eyes. "And I get to start with everyone's favorite crusading Faunus, which already took an ungodly level of investment in the show to keep alive."

Prim gave me a thumbs up. "I'm more of an omnipresent being rather than an omniscient one…but yeah, I can inform you that this will suck."

"_Thanks_…"

… … …

"You know, for someone trying to eschew the dark and broody stereotype, you talk an awful lot of walks alone," Ilia commented as I returned to KMMI's dorm room. My partner was cleaning Lightning Lash and Lasher's Grip. "I take it that you being back means the rest have set out."

"RWBY and JNPR are away, for the most part," I replied, and neither of us had to state which person was still around on Beacon's campus. "You know, you could have seen them all off with me. I promise you that Ren and Nora have gotten over the fighting that happened a few years back."

"It wasn't because of that, honest." Ilia's freckles turned pink. "It was more that I…didn't want deal with some people."

"Yeah, I think your little outburst when people thought Blake and I were a thing was pretty obvious, along with Yang's." I cocked my head as Ilia looked away pointedly. "Unless…that wasn't the reason why you were defensive then."

"I still don't know how you figured it out, but yes, I used to have a crush on Blake. But after some time and distance apart, I've moved past that. I still consider her one of my dearest friends though, despite some of her flaws." Ilia laced her fingers together and extended her arms straight out. "I don't have a crush on her anymore."

"Huh, good to know. If that's the case though, then why-"

"Though Yang clearly seems to." Ilia walked right past that particular conversation topic. "Does the wise Kouza Higure know anything about that?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Don't think that we're done addressing the issue. If you must know though, I paid attention to Yang the night before initiation and it definitely seems like she's interested in both genders."

"Oh, were you trying to get a glimpse of something inappropriate?" Ilia gasped in mock shock. "How immoral of you. I can feel my protective instincts flaring."

"Not a chance. I was tasked by Qrow to look after his nieces who were together with Weiss and Blake, _and_ that group had exceptional enmity against me." The train of thought led my mind back to the task at hand and I groaned. "Most of them have settled their differences with me at this point, but our Menagerian princess is still quite brisk with me."

"Well, she has the thought of either you or I telling her team or the teachers about her being a Faunus, even if we'd never do something like that." Ilia placed a hand on her chin in thought. "Despite how aggravating it is seeing her hide her heritage, I did the same thing when I was younger so I get it, and so do you obviously. Speaking of, how exactly does she know you're the Specter? Miltia and Melanie know because you work with them, and I know because I tracked you down. But what about her?"

"I revealed my identity shortly after we fought, and I pointed out that I knew exactly who she was." I shrugged in reply to Ilia's open mouth. "To be fair, Ozpin and likely the teachers know already as well. I mean, even if Belladona is a pretty common surname out there, Blake looks frighteningly similar to Kali."

"Wha-, But…if they know that Blake is a Faunus, then they likely know that she was White Fang too." Ilia's skin and freckles paled on the edge of chalk white. "Wait, does that mean they-"

"Know that you used to be White Fang too? Most likely. They probably also know that Miltia and Melanie perform some illicit activities under Junior, and likely think that I'm doing the same. What they _don't_ know though is that I'm the Specter, and I'll fight like hell to keep that information under wraps, thank you very much."

"Obviously I can keep a secret, I'm your partner after all. But why would Ozpin let so many ex-criminals and potentially even current criminals into Beacon?"

"He appears to be a big believer in recruitment and redemption, if you buy into that. Turns out that there's precedent for doing what he did with us, with Qrow and Raven Branwen as prime examples." I smiled amusedly at Ilia's confused look. "They came from a tribe of bandits in Anima, and they graduated to become upstanding Huntsmen, for a time. Then some events happened and Raven returned to being a bandit, which is how I met her. Bandit Queen indeed. But now she's legitimized her tribe, which kind of adds some oomph to Ozpin's score of redemption. A lot of that is thanks to Taiyang and Summer Rose though."

"I…had no idea. I'd heard about the Branwen Tribe and the Bandit Queen of Anima, but I didn't put the pieces together."

"It's understandable on why you wouldn't, considering that you've never seen what Raven looks like. Spoiler alert, think of Yang but with constantly red eyes, black hair instead of yellow, and her color scheme is closer to Ruby's than you'd imagine. I digress though, back to the main conversation topic." I pointed at the door in the general direction of Team RWBY's room. "Our intrepid ex-terrorist is planning on doing some very risky research and reconnaissance into the White Fang during this break, all in the name of preparation for revealing her identity."

"But that's rid-"

"_Of course it's ridiculous_, but try telling her as much. Seriously, please try persuading of her of that. But you know what happens if you try and pull Blake Belladona away from something she's set her mind on?"

"She'll just find crazier and more reckless ways to go around you to do what she wants," Ilia replied sullenly. "So talking to her won't work, and we can't exactly keep her confined to campus during the entirety of the break without raising some very difficult questions. So if we can't stop her…we can make it so that whatever she gets up to won't be exceptionally reckless."

"Precisely. So if we're going to find out what's going on with the White Fang, hopefully before Blake does, we'll need a wealth of information." I smirked. "It just so happens that I know someone we can contact about this."

"Yeah, he's currently footing the bill for our teammates getting trashed at the moment…"

… … …

"So let me get this straight…" Junior paused to pinch the bridge of his nose, look down the counter at the twins drinking their way through half his bar, then pinch harder. "After being beaten, kidnapped and then questioned by a super-alliance of criminals and terrorists, you thought the best thing to do was dive right into hunting down part of that alliance without your superiors' knowledge, all to stop a friend from doing something insane to reach the same information?"

"What a way you've got with words, Junior." I paused to down my double, as Ilia sipped at her alcoholic sherbet. "Oh dang, how I've missed this."

"Kid, can I speak to you privately for a second?" I slid off the seat and flashed my teammates a thumbs up, following Junior into the back room and seating myself opposite him as the information dealer groaned into his hands. "What is all this, Kouzai? I mean, first you get kidnapped and I think that they found out that you were the Specter and that you were working for us. Then I'm told that they didn't know about that and had kidnapped you almost _at random_. Then I get to find out that you told your partner that you were the Specter, which I can't fault you for because _I'm_ the one who told you to let some people in the know. But then you tell me that you told a different person _long_ before you told your partner, and now that person is set to deliver themselves to the White Fang on a platter?"

"I get that it looks pretty bad Junior, but if you look past the events that were coming our way regardless, there are some silver linings to be had here." I refused to quail under the impressively skeptical look Junior was giving me. "Think of it like this; you were likely looking to track down and keep track of the White Fang and Torchwick's movements anyways. And with two separate former White Fang agents contributing their talents towards finding leads on the White Fang, along with what you have on Torchwick's habits, there is a lot we could learn to set ourselves up in case something happens."

"In case? Try _when_ instead. The girls already told me after that fight at the docks that Roman was acting under orders from Cinder Fall, and that he suggested that I lay low on the 'business' side of my business for a while. So whatever's coming is definitely already on its way, and it sounds like it'll be shit for everything involved and affected." Junior scrutinized me. "You sure you don't feel like telling me exactly what it is they're all after, or what it has to do with Amber Autumn?"

I shook my head. "Junior, if I told you even the barebones version of what's going on, Cinder and Cinder's _boss_ would stop at nothing to keep that information classified, whether it's bringing you over to their side or tying up loose ends _permanently_. What Beacon has is _that_ dangerous for Vale and Remnant."

"Yeesh, alright. You won't ever hear me badmouthing Beacon's military strength again then." Junior took a swig of his own drink and set it down. "Alright then. You're looking to track down either the Fang, Roman, or both? And not Cinder Fall?"

"More likely the White Fang than Torchwick, and definitely not Cinder Fall. The bitch will likely have Emerald around her at all times to use her Hallucination semblance to avoid detection, and Torchwick has Neo's Overactive Imagination."

"That's a fair point, depressing as that is. Fine, I'll dig up some leads on where the Fang might be hiding and doing, but you and your partner will be playing by my rules." Junior finished off his drink and placed the glass down, glaring over at me. "No matter what happens, you cannot, _under any circumstances_, let them trace you, your partner or anyone else back to me and mine. I don't care whether it's as Kouzai Higure or as the Specter, I need to look neutral for as long as possible in order to make my preparations with the Miss. And whatever you find, you bring back to me, got it?"

"It's better than I was expecting," I replied, sighing in my seat. "You won't regret this Junior."

"I feel like I am already. Also, there's no way in hell that you'll be getting paid for this. If anything, you should be paying _me_."

"Let's iron out the details later, boss man." I chuckled nervously as we both stood up from our seats. "For now, let's get back out so we can lay the groundwork with the twins and my partner."

"That's for the best, considering that I'm terrified of what the girls will get up to without me watching them." Junior grunted as we walked down the hall. "Before I forget though, we need to have another talk sometime about your partner. I'm not sure if-"

Junior trailed off in the middle of his sentence, and as I drew even with him and we reappeared by the bar, I saw why.

"There he is! Oh, and you've got the damsel in distress too! C'mere, I feel like I should buy you an apology drink. Hey Hei, you mind if I grab this?"

A hearty gulp was taken from a bottle grabbed from behind the counter, seemingly oblivious to the claws, bladed heels and whip-blade being pointed at his back, head and neck.

"Seriously though, pull up a seat, both of you." Roman Torchwick grinned with a cigar in his mouth. "There' some things we need to discuss."

… … …

… … …

Beacon?

SLASH

_Beacon?_

STAB

_BEACON_?

BANG

Banesaw was forced back under Adam's relentless assault, and his chainsaw clanked against the ground out of exhaustion.

"Sir, I ask for a pause to our spar, as I fear I cannot keep up with your prodigious endurance." Adam hissed, but Wilt sheathed back into Blush as Adam stood back up, then began pacing around the makeshift ring.

"What on Remnant could Blake being doing at Beacon, _with Beacon_?" Adam snarled. "There's no way that she would betray the cause just like that, especially after accompanying me on our joint mission with the humans."

"Sir, if I may, our soldiers reported that Belladona was wearing a bow atop her head in addition to her normal clothing. Is it possible that she needed to conceal herself away from pursuers?"

Adam jolted. "Yes…_yes_…of course! Blake disappeared after her battle with the Specter, only to reappear in Beacon wearing a flimsy disguise masking her identity! She _knows_ she would be recognized by those looking for her, but she also knows that she would be protected from anyone seeking retribution against her, like the Specter! She must be lying in wait for the opportunity to cleanly escape from both Beacon and the Specter's watch!"

"Sir, our men reported that she was fighting alongside a _Schnee_, and that she appeared to hold no ill will against the scum in battle…"

"But of course, Banesaw. As my best infiltrator, Blake knows the value of the element of surprise before unleashing overwhelming force. She is biding her time in order to strike out against the Schnee when the proper distraction arrives! We must redouble our efforts towards Fall's plan. The sooner we move, the sooner Blake may return to us."

"As you say, Commander."

**A/N: So there's quite a bit on the horizon, and more than a few misconceptions and misunderstanding floating around. Alas, no one is perfect, least of all Kouzai. For those worrying about the length of this section of the volume, I'll say that the break won't be too long, perhaps a couple more chapters touching on these White Fang-Centric events. But we'll just have to see how all these pieces continue to move. Now for reviews.**

**R26: Yang is rather enjoyable to imagine at times due to having multiple layers behind her motivations and actions, which gives her a surprising amount of depth and maturity at times. Though if any situation involving Kouzai, Ruby and a bed ever comes to pass, nothing on Remnant will save Kouzai from Yang, Tai, Qrow, etc…As for Mercury, I believe there exists a difference between apprehension at being within your boss' boss' lair, and being in the enemy boss' jail with the knowledge that any slip of the tongue would warrant Cinder seeking to tie up a loose end.**

**AlexFalTon: Well, hopefully I do my version of the arc justice, and definitely make it more expedient compared to the half dozen episodes it took to get a half-resolution that later blew up in the team's faces. On why the team fared better at tracking down Torchwick and the White Fang, I could only guess that it was Blake's superior experience as Adam's right-hand woman that gives her an insight as to how White Fang operations and recruitment efforts are run.**

**Netapel: Yeah, the disparity between the themes of two different parties, one at Patch and the other at Juniors, will definitely be enough to make lesser heads spin. And I would totally buy Yang being that petty towards Kouzai despite the two coming to an understanding.**

**The Keeper of Worlds: Generally, I take few liberties when it comes to the backstories of canon characters, but this is one headcanon that I couldn't shake. Whether or not it's true, I'm not sure, but it certainly makes for an interesting connection to delve into.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 06/01/20**


	38. Chapter 35: Clutch at a Straw

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: The start of June, marked by rising heat, a rising audience and rising tensions all around. A quick note and thanks to all the readers for this story passing 500 follows, a number that is not unappreciated whenever I think about or write for this story. But more important than that in the last week are the frustrations that have finally boiled over in our country, something that has been echoed the world over. It's sobering to consider that for all the increased danger that exists in the world of Remnant, death in real life comes for many much more suddenly, and sadly much more trivially. Injustice at its core pervades many aspects of daily life, but I believe that there are always those who will seek to rectify such circumstances. Just something that I feel may not be said enough.**

Chapter 35: Clutch at a Straw

Chapter Date: 06/02/20

Junior and I stood by the counter to the bar, looking far more dumbfounded than either person of our caliber and role should've been at the sight of Roman nonchalantly sitting at the counter.

"Look, I get that my immaculate fashion sense brings some light to this place and all of you, but my time here is limited, so I'd like to make the most of it. Also, you don't mind if I crack this open right?" Whatever debates there might've been on Roman Torchwick's fighting ability, there was no doubt, with him seated and clutching a blatantly stolen bottle of drink while at the end of three different blades, that the thief was cool under pressure. Luckily, one of us here had more than enough experience in dealing with Torchwick's antics, and the other was well-versed in reacting to unknown experiences.

"Ilia, Miltia, Melanie, why don't you all put your weapons away and head back to your seats? There's no need for a fight to break out yet, and I'm sure the twins at least would like to keep their buzz going." I grabbed a double from behind the counter and stood across from Torchwick while I sipped at it.

"The buzz is definitely gone at this point," Miltia growled quietly. Melanie, on the other hand…

"What the hell is the matter with you, Kouzai!" My white-clad teammate slammed her hands down at the table. "This creep was one of the people that _kidnapped_ you and were about to use you as a disposable bargaining chip! _How_ can you stand across from him like everything's fine and you're just a bartender about to whip some drinks up?"

"Because he _does_ work as a bartender, and for people far scummier than Roman at times. Also, because he knows exactly what the situation looks like here." Junior joined me behind the counter and pointed to the bottle in his hands. "You want that put into something?"

Torchwick's eyes actually did brighten up at that. "Now wouldn't that be something? Can I count on the professionalism of the club not to poison my drink while I'm here to talk?"

Junior chuckled. "You know as well as I do that it wouldn't even be needed at this point. Then again, a little clarification for anyone else less aware wouldn't hurt."

"If I have to. Although, seems like the little team leader and his partner seem to have the measure of things, more than the terrible twosome at any rate." Torchwick accepted the drink from Junior, taking a sip while the twins levelled vitriol at him and Ilia continued staring, waiting for him to speak. "Ah, that hits the spot. So, the gist of it is that I pretended to come here to spy on you all, and in return, _I'll_ accept that nothing of any relative importance was being discussed while I 'spied' on you. Sound good?"

"If you're not actually here to spy on us, then why?" Ilia fired off the opening question, though Torchwick's grin told the tale of how he'd expected it.

"To facilitate discussion between parties and exchange information amongst respected professionals. Also, I'm doing my best to make sure I don't lose my favorite drinking spot."

"So you're here to give us information on Cinder and the others, and get something in return." I filled in the blanks, as the thought occurred to me. "Does Cinder know you're here, 'spying' or not?"

"Nope. Perks of having a right-hand woman with an illusion semblance." Torchwick took a deep draught from his drink. "Though it's not a trick I'd feel comfortable pulling on her more than twice, with a person of her instincts. Honestly, I'm sticking my neck out coming here as it is."

"Then you should've considered the risks before getting into bed with a woman like that in the first place, Roman." Junior had his arms crossed, though the info broker's brown eyes hadn't hardened past the point of mercy. "What exactly did the woman offer you and Neo to make you take such a godsforsaken gig?"

"Money, with a healthy promise of power. Really, what else do you need?" Despite Torchwick's light tone, his hands gripped his glass and he leaned forward, green eyes locked on the liquid within. "It was offered as a simple extermination job, with half the payment as a deposit, the rest on delivery. I make it a principle to avoid jobs not created by myself, but the lien…_half_ of it was nearly enough to have Neo and I set for life. With that kind of funding and what my instincts were telling me about Cinder and her goons, I thought there wasn't any single being on Remnant strong enough to take us all. Having Bully Boy and his tagalong was just icing on the cake."

"Heh…haha…HAHAHAA!" I couldn't help bursting out laughing, doubling over for a second before looking the crime boss in the face. "You all got your asses handed to you, didn't you?"

Torchwick scowled, but his hands didn't so much as twitch. "It was beyond comprehension. I'd have said it was a trap, if _we_ hadn't been the ones making a trap and those Huntsmen being caught off-guard."

"Huntsmen?" I questioned for the sake of it, though I'd been there to see portions of the ensuing fight. Then I faked having something click. "Taiyang Xiao Long. Raven Branwen. And Qrow?"

Torchwick's eyes remained fixed on me, and I was aware of the rest of my team listening intently as well. Junoir was content to let me speak for the time being, but I could tell he was waiting in the wings to pull me out if I said anything revealing. Until then though… "After I got rescued, the other teams filled me in on what happened, including snippets of conversation before and during the fights at the docks. Among them was mention of Yang's mom and dad with Adam Taurus, and Qrow made it sound like he'd run into you all before."

"…Y'know, there's such a thing as being _too_ analytical…" Torchwick took another sip of his drink, before he smirked. "Lucky for you, I happen to believe that anyone who espouses such bull is just making excuses for not being the smartest person in the room."

Reaching into his coat pocket, Torchwick withdrew a cigar and lighter while chuckling at my team's tense postures. Lighting it, he pocketed the lighter and held the cigar for a moment. "Three for three, kid. I can see Cinder wasn't kidding when she mentioned that you were one to watch out for. Guess that's why I waited till you were all here anyways. The bottom line is, Neo and I mainly do what we do for the lien, but Cinder, and more importantly her mysterious boss, seem to be doing it for the yucks at this point."

Junior didn't seem convinced in the slightest. "It's a bit late to be growing a conscience at this point, Roman."

A drag of the cigar had Torchwcik exhaling a stream of smoke. "Hei, we both know I ditched that a long time ago. No, this…this is pragmatism. Specifically, the pragmatism of a guy who's got more than a few questions on that arm of Cinder's, and a few on what the endgame is supposed to look like with what Cinder's seeking."

"So, you know what Cinder and her boss are after then? In the short term, at least?" I already knew, but it was incredibly useful to know whether Cinder had disclosed the secret of the Maidens to individuals like Torchwick and Adam.

Aaaaand now I was under Torchwick's scrutiny, along with some very confused glances by the twins and Ilia. "I made Cinder agree to fill us in on what she'd pulled us into after nearly being used as a lightning rod, and suffice to say, it's something worth killing for. The good news is that Neo and I are better prepared for what exactly we're in for. The bad is that we're caught between a rock and a pointier rock. On the one hand, running our heads into the wall that's Beacon and the academies will end poorly, to say the least. On the other, with whatever Cinder's got up her sleeve, getting out with all limbs and major organs intact is a nonstarter."

"Ok, I got lost about three cryptic answers ago, but why not just take whatever thing Cinder wants and use it to keep you and Neo out of her reach?" Miltia asked. "If it took you two, Cinder and her flunkies, and Adam Taurus combined, then Cinder alone shouldn't have a chance if you take what she wants, right?"

"I always knew you were the smart one," Torchwick replied, drawing an indignant "OI!" from Melanie. "And don't think I haven't thought of that either. Even before we were told exactly what the goal was, Neo and I had plans to up and away with whatever gear or thing was on the target. The reality was…a bit more complicated than that, but still manageable. The real kicker though, is that if Neo and I can't take down Cinder and hers _without_ the Macguffin, something tells me there's no chance of staying free of Cinder's boss. And if she's scary enough to keep Cinder in line, well…"

"So you're here to play both sides against each other so that you and Neo will be gone and free once the dust settles, with no hooks drawing you back towards either side." Junior brought a hand to his face. "It's such a 'you' idea…"

"I know, right?" Torchwick's smug grin was on full display, though it faded quickly. "Problem with the plan this time around is that instead of playing the cops and small-time thieves, it's Ozpin and whatever Remnant-wide crime boss Cinder works for. Seriously Hei, the funds Cinder's funneling towards the White Fang would put Lil Miss' projects to shame."

"Now that's something useful to send back to her," Junior noted. "So you want out, but in a way that won't have the rest of Cinder's cohorts coming after you. You do know from how you described Cinder and her boss that making a break will be nearly impossible, right?"

"That's what I've you for, old buddy, old friend!" Torchwick cajoled to a stone-faced Junior.

"I'm an information broker, Roman, not a miracle worker."

"But you _are_ a general problem fixer, and this is _most definitely_ a problem."

"Again, _not a miracle worker_."

"Hah, fine, play hard to get." Roman's humor vanished from his voice. "Then I suppose it's the usual method then?"

"Fine by me. What're you offering?"

"Information on some of the White Fang's operations. The Faunus are Cinder's hammer to her scalpel; without them, she won't have the brute force needed to keep Beacon's eyes off the prize."

"Hmm. And what're you looking for?"

"Get me an appointment with the Specter." I had the benefit of wearing shades, but the twins, Ilia and even Junior stared at Torchwick with shock visible on their expressions and refusals halfway out before the thief lifted a hand. "C'mon Hei, you promised playtime was over. Did you think you were the only one who could keep tabs on others? I've got people on the inside who tell me that they've seen the Specter on jobs for you. Now, they don't know _who_ he is, but given the Specter's transition from Mistral to Vale, I'd hazard a guess and say that it's an operative working for Lil' Miss, and by extension, you."

I was ironically glad for my teammates overreacting by being a hair's breadth away from lashing out at Torchwick, as I could feel my own overly tense posture betraying me as Torchwick continued. "I'm offering the opportunity to help Beacon take down Cinder and co. But me feeding information is only good so long as I'm not in any danger of being caught out, 'cause then you won't know whether I'm compromised. The only way to keep Cinder's attention, and more importantly her paranoia, off Neo and I is to give her a target seemingly unaffiliated with any side at the moment."

"So you want me to offer up the Specter as a scapegoat for Cinder Fall and Adam Taurus to latch onto for their failure?" Junior nearly snarled, his expression and ridiculous height drawing comparisons to his namesake.

"Hey, if I'm risking my neck for the 'greater good', it's only fair that someone else should have the same opportunity." Roman casually shrugged, before placing an elbow on the table and leaning into a hand. "So Hei, how about it? You already know that when I say I've got info, I'm good for it."

I could tell that my team and Junior were trying desperately not to glance in my direction, but the effort wasn't needed. "Hey Torchwick. You really think that the Specter's got Cinder and Adam Taurus on edge?"

Roman's grin returned. "Oh, you don't know the half of it, kid. They're both absolutely furious about the guy. Cinder's down an arm, eye and dastardly evil plan thanks to the mystery man, and Taurus likely hasn't had a good lay since the Specter came and 'abducted his girlfriend' or what have you. Trust me, if the Specter makes an appearance, Beacon and crew won't have much of a tough time rolling right over the 'forces of evil', due to how distracted Cinder and Taurus'll be."

I glanced around at those assembled, gauging their reactions. Miltia was silently conveying a strong 'No', likely out of concern that it was a trap. Melanie was a gleeful 'Yes', if only to see how incensed I could make Cinder and Adam. Junior had an impassive expression, but I could tell from our previous conversations that either answer would have irreparable consequences moving forward. And Ilia's gaze had nothing but understanding for my choice. Despite the gravity of the situation, my shoulders relaxed. 'Eh, compared to everything else that's happened, what's one more crazy choice?'

I made a show of glancing at Junior like I was waiting to see his reaction, and shrugged my shoulders. Junior sighed and faced Torchwick. "Alright Roman, I'll reach out and schedule a meeting with you. Now, what's the info on the White Fang that even I don't have?"

Torchwick looked like the cat that'd gotten the canary. "See, your reasonableness is why you and I have gotten along so well, Hei. Well, that and your ability to whip up fantastic drinks. There's gonna be a recruitment rally for the White Fang in four days."

I started a little at how soon the date was, but Junior scoffed. "So? We knew about that already, and where it'll be at. That's hardly insider info."

Torchwick's grin somehow got wider. "True. But what most _don't_ know is that there'll be a celebrity guest appearance; the commander for Vale's White Fang branch."

Ilia cursed. "Adam is personally showing up?" She and I shared a look, knowing exactly how that might complicate things if the variable known as Blake were thrown into the equation.

"Got it in one, dearie. But hold onto your pointy weapons, because that's not all!" Torchwick waved his cigar and arm in an exaggerated gameshow host fashion before quieting again. "Taurus is there to start the hype, so to speak. Cinder's got me trafficking some experimental arms into Vale that'll keep that adrenaline high going for future rallies."

Junior was also curious now. "How experimental?"

"Atlas military-experimental."

I groaned, having an idea of what Torchwick was bringing in. I had to be sure though. "And considering how shiny and overcompensating everything that comes out of Atlas is, I'm assuming that there's not really a place to put an army's worth of weapons in Vale city. So where's it all headed?"

"Y'know, Cinder was right. If it weren't for the fact that you seem incorruptible, I'd have scooped you up and recruited you for my own crew. You're right in guessing that the bulk of it won't be coming into the city. Too much sneaking, bribing and threatening for that. Nope, it'll be headed for a place that no civilian or Huntsmen in their right mind would head to." Torchwick's smile evaporated off his face as he grimaced. "The tomb that the Vale Council has the gall to label a 'failed expansion'."

"Mountain Glenn? Fuck, talk about leaning into bad taste." Junior brought a hand up to his face in thought. "Anything else you want to tell us?"

"Want to? Hell no. Should? Yup." Torchwick leaned in close, and this time his eyes lost the spark of amusement. "Keep watch over that assistant professor. _Do not_ let her die, and trust me when I say that it's not worth it to try and take what she has for yourselves."

At that, Torchwick stood up to leave, reaching over the counter to grab another bottle as he turned away. "Have the Specter meet up with Neo and I in three days. We'll be waiting at that ice cream place by the rally venue; Neo'll want some sugary distraction in case things get boring."

As Torchwick disappeared out of sight, my team and Junior turned towards me. I laughed weakly and gave a thumbs up. "I think that went well."

… … …

"This is a _terrible_ idea! You've had bad ideas before, but this one is nothing but suicidal!" Miltia was the one ranting this time, as her sister, Ilia and I were sat on chairs and couches in my apartment. "Everything about this screams that you're walking into a trap, and for what? Information that would _also_ be suicidal to act on!"

"That's just in the short term, Miltia. And like it or not, Torchwick kind of had us the minute he walked in through the door." I sighed as Miltia paused and looked over to me in confusion. "Once he found out that the Specter was working with your mom and Junior, he could've asked nearly anything of us and we would've had to deliver. If that information gets out, Cinder, the White Fang, and most importantly, Cinder's boss, would bring the hammer down on Junior and all of you. Torchwick also knows though Cinder and Taurus don't work nearly as well when they're distracted by something, and the Specter _is_ one hell of a distraction for them, apparently."

"Yeah, losing limbs to a person will tend to do that," Melanie snarked before her emerald eyes narrowed on me. "You didn't tell us that you had history with that group, _or_ that you were the one responsible for nearly offing Cinder into the state that she's in now."

"Well, I had to leave before getting to examine my handiwork, on account of the fact that there were various badasses who seemed _very_ interested in finding out who I was," I replied. "Also, I've made enemies of a lot of people while working as the Specter. This group just happens to be particularly pertinent due to their plans."

"Speaking of, you made it seem like you knew exactly what Torchwick was talking about with whatever Cinder's looking for. _Do_ you know what it is?" Ilia looked steadily at me. 

I backpedaled, trying to think of ways to dissuade my teammates from even considering that particular subject any further. "Let's just say that I do know, and that Torchwick is right in that getting a hold of it will put a target on your back that only ends in your death. Also, even if I was interested in snatching Cinder's objective away from her, claiming 'it' is impossible for me, due to lacking some very important physical requirements." Perhaps that last bit wasn't needed, but I was still slightly miffed at Ozpin for putting that restriction in place when he'd first created the Maidens.

"Fine, keep your secrets to yourself." Melanie didn't seem to be pleased, but was moving past it. "Now, what's the plan for the rally? I say team KMMI makes a big entrance and shows the Fang exactly whose turf-"

"Melanie, you and Miltia can't come to the rally." I cut her off before she could get rolling. "Actually, you two can't even be seen near the place."

"Why the hell not?!"

Ilia answered for me. "Because it's bad enough that our team was at the docks that night rescuing Kouzai. Like Torchwick said, if Cinder finds out that the Specter works for Junior, they'll insinuate that Junior is working against her and the White Fang. Even if that's true, Junior needs to pretend like it isn't, because he _can't_ win in a war against Cinder and the White Fang. Imagine what it'll look like if Junior's wards both show up to trash a White Fang rally?"

"Like a direct act of war," Miltia answered, deflating as she plopped onto her bed disgruntledly. "This is bullshit."

"Don't let Yatsuhashi hear you cursing like a sailor now," I joked, laughing as Miltia blushed. "But yeah, it sucks, but the reality is we have to act with restrictions in place, both in terms of the law and how certain information gets out. It's because we have people to protect, while Cinder and her own don't."

"Doesn't make it any less bullshit," Melanie replied. "So what's your plan for the rally then? Letting the opportunity slide would be a waste, but you and Ilia can't go in alone. And if you tell me that your plan is to 'infiltrate' alone, I'll shove my heels so far up-"

"No, that's not my plan," I interrupted Melanie. "I'll have to bring in others to supplement our numbers."

"But who are we supposed to find that's both okay with what we're doing, and knows about you being the Specter?" Ilia questioned, which admittedly had me stumped.

'Seriously, who _do_ I ask? Ruby, Yang and Weiss are out for obvious reasons, and so are CFVY. Jaune and Pyrrha are out too. Nora and Ren? Too far away, if they even know. Who does that leave?' My eyes widened, then screwed shut as I remembered someone that could work. 'We don't need to go _that_ far, right? Maybe I can just call up Prim, she won't mind stepping in and using godlike powers to handle this, right?' A chime came from my scroll as I opened a message.

_Not happening._

'Guess that answers that…' I sighed and cracked my neck, knowing I was about to have a _long_ next few days. I plastered a confident smile on my face as I turned towards my teammates. "I've got an idea, though it's not exactly a great one."

I was met with blank stares as Miltia asked, "Are any of your ideas considered great?"

"Gee, thanks for the confidence, team…"

… … …

This house, had too, many, PEOPLE.

Even putting aside having to deal with Ruby's heart attack-inducing sweetness or Yang's incessant _puns_, the arrival of Qrow, Winter and Weiss had made things difficult. Especially the latter two, with their Atlesian high-mannered customs.

No, you don't need three spoons for one dinner. No, there was not an endless supply of food, rations or butlers. Yes, the grass was real and yes, it needed to be cut.

Even disregarding the personalities, having eight people in a cabin house made for six at most meant fresh air was needed. Stepping outside after dark, Vernal glanced up at the sky, noting the lack of stars visible within the kingdoms as opposed to in the wilds of Anima. Somehow though, it felt like she was growing used to it.

"I'm not going soft anytime soon…" Vernal murmured to herself, clenching a fist. Feeling her scroll buzz, she pulled it out and saw a certain interest of hers was calling. "Oh, this oughta be good. Yeah?"

"Good evening to you to." Kouzai's chuckles came through on the end. "How's vacation over on Patch going?"

"How do you think? Too many people, not enough space, and _two_ Schnees attempting to class the place up. It's a wonder I haven't gone stir-crazy. I assume you've been slacking off as per usual at Beacon."

"Not quite. Recent circumstances and all." Vernal gritted her teeth as she could tell that the statement was intentionally kept ambiguous. "Anyways, I had the wonderful idea of calling in that favor I owe to you."

"Isn't that the exact opposite of how it's supposed to work? If anything, you should be glad I haven't used it yet." Vernal grinned, knowing _exactly_ what she'd ask of the shades-wearing Mistralian.

"Well, I figure that you won't be opposed to my suggestion, considering that it's an opportunity that you wouldn't get if I didn't let happen." Vernal perked up at that, though scowled when she realized how easily she was being played.

"How would you like to come to Beacon tomorrow, fight me for a full day, and then go beat a bunch of people up with me in the same week?"

"…" Damnit, he could turn water into fucking wine, couldn't he. "Fine, we'll call it my favor from you. You better deliver on a _full day_ of fighting me though. I'll be at Beacon early tomorrow. Don't be late."

"S-sounds good. Hooray…" The call ended and Vernal laughed heartily.

What a way to treat a girl.

… … …

"I'm back." Roman walked into the kitchen of the upscale apartment he 'owned', glancing around the room before spotting Neo digging into a tub of ice cream. Nearly the same situation he'd left her in, but for the other empty carton of ice cream on the table beside her. "Any trouble with Cinder and her lot?"

Neo shook her head, before gesturing to show the illusion she'd put up with Overactive Imagination. It shattered within seconds of its creation, and Neo gestured back to her ice cream before digging back into it.

"Yeah, I know I was cutting it close, your semblance is best handled in short bursts. This won't be a thing we have to do often though, considering how quick Junior works and how Ozpin likes to capitalize on things. They took the deal, by the way." Neo lifted an eyebrow in response, and Roman grinned. "True, they didn't have much of a choice anyways, but then again, neither do we."

Neo held up her hand, mimicking a familiar motion as Roman shook his head. "Not happening. Even assuming you and I could take Cinder and Emerald, there's still Taurus and the Fang to worry about. With both of them around, grabbing the power away from Amber Autumn's gonna be a tall order. Not to mention, even if we _do_ manage to make it out of the fray intact and with power in tow, we don't know nearly enough about Cinder's boss and her capabilities to commit."

One hand came up in a claw, while the other waved around limply.

"Yeah, with that arm and that thing you managed to spot, definitely something to do with the Grimm. Not sure if it's to do with Merlot's old research, or something else entirely. Either way, unless we can rule out the possibility that the Grimm themselves won't be our enemy, making a break ain't happening."

Neo sulked back on the couch with the spoon still in her mouth.

"I'm sure you'll be excited to hear about our upcoming meeting with the Specter. Junior and that broody kid's team agreed to it far easier than I expected."

Neo stared up at the ceiling, thinking back to the boy with sunglasses, first at the robbery, then in the alley with Mercury.

A meeting with the Specter?

"See? Knew that'd get your blood pumping."

**A/N: Thanks to the readers for waiting up on me, and hopefully I delivered. Shifts and events are on the horizon, and things are moving forward in more ways than one. Now for reviews.**

**Raidentensho: Even with Chronometry, something like synchronized breathing may not be too applicable for Kouzai. I'd imagine it helps with illusory semblances like Emerald and Neo's though, when imagining what others see. And a change of clothes is indeed likely in order.**

**Kuriboh1233: From what I've seen about Adam, his reasoning tends to be quite selective. Unless there's a confrontation with Blake that definitively proves that she left the White Fan and him by extension, something tells me that it's easier to blame others, chief among them being the Specter.**

**Guest: Sorry to hear that my story wasn't for you, but hopefully you find a story in the fanfiction that works.**

**R26: Yeah, no one's every described Adam Taurus as a genius analyzer, but we'll see how that hashes out. As for pairings, I'll admit to being slow to set things up in some respects, but hopefully later chapters become clearer with regard to pairings.**

**ObviousHUN: When the individual in question is one of the strongest huntresses of her generation, and then add Maiden powers, calling them out tends to be quite the lethal option. Luckily, Raven, though ruthless, isn't stupid.**

**Trsmuted: Thanks for the reviews. In terms of the way the story started, I can honestly say that I would've been happy diving into any one of the three stories, and getting to flesh out those characters featured and involved. I don't regret the option that was chosen, and I think it's turned out to be a pretty good story thus far. Hopefully you give the story moving forward a chance.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 06/08/20**


	39. Chapter 36: If It Ain't Broke

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: After a whirlwind first week of June, I'm proud to say that this story has reached 100,000 views! It's a milestone that does not go unappreciated, and it's one that'll be used as motivation for the writing ahead. A big thanks to all those that have given this story a chance, and a promise that I'm not going anywhere anytime soon.**

Chapter 36: If It Ain't Broke

Chapter Date: 06/08/20

'I wonder if this is how Summer and Tai felt having Raven as a teammate in the beginning.'

CLANG

"Getting distracted while fighting ME?! Grit your teeth, Higure!"

WHAM

I slid back despite my guard against Vernal's side kick, then ducked before her chakram could fire at my face.

"Okay, time!" I hastily blocked another two slashes. "_I said time, Vernal_!"

"Tch. Clearly, your stamina needs work. You were a damn sight more lively back then." Vernal stepped over to the side of the arena where her bag was, yanking her towel out to wipe some of the sweat off herself. "Been a decent workout so far though."

"Not everyone trains to be a fighting monster like you," I muttered, sheathing Mirror's Edge and flexing my fingers. "Also, people tend to fight harder when their lives are on the line, like the case was for myself, Nora and Ren."

"That's back when the tribe was at the top of their game…" Vernal seemed to lament, before she focused back on me. "Anyways, wanna spill on exactly what we're doing here, and why it's needed for what you mentioned?"

'Well, at least she's cognizant of the fact that there are cameras around.' I glanced over to the stands and hoped that Ilia could aid in the explanation, before remembering that she'd left ten minutes ago to track down where Blake was. That, and something about "leaving the room clear", whatever that meant.

"I figured that having the sparring and training here at Beacon would be better than at Signal, considering the proximity to everyone else at the moment. Was I wrong in assuming?" I teased as I walked closer to where Vernal was, content at seeing the former bandit mutter under her breath. Stepping into the range for private conversation, I made sure that our heads were angled away from the cameras, just in case. "The reason I asked for you is because there's an event of the criminal kind happening in Vale in a couple days, one that a few concerned students intend to infiltrate and potentially bust up."

"Do you have a hard-on for throwing yourself as a wrench into criminal operations?" Vernal asked flatly.

"Bwuh?"

"I mean, from what I hear, there was that thing with the Cleansers, screwing with the Tribe multiple times, and stopping Torchdick's robbery, the last of which got you beaten and kidnapped. And the second one too, now that I think about it."

"Pffff-Unrelated incidents aside, this particular event is less about me trying to stop criminal activity, and more about stopping a friend from getting hurt while in the course of stopping criminal activity…also, the event is for the White Fang."

This time it was Vernal's turn to splutter, with the added benefit of her having just drank some water. "The Fang? Seriously? Do you enjoy pain and punishment? You _just_ got kidnapped by an alliance that the Fang are part of? Also, who'd be so invested in stopping them that would force you to intervene on their part, and require extra backup?" The gears visibly turned in Vernal's head as seconds passed by. "Your team's out, considering that wading into a high-powered shadow war like this would be suicide for someone like Junior. Those coffee brats are too on the straight and narrow to pull something like this, and your Mistral friends aren't even in the city for the time being. So that leaves…the moody girl on Ruby, Weiss and Yang's team?"

"Color me surprised. How'd you hear about the other teams?"

Vernal colored slightly. "After listening to the brats back on Patch, it's been hammered into my head, especially with Ruby's high-pitched squeaks. So, is this a grudge sort of obsession, or…?"

I groaned. "Worse. It's the 'redemption and worthiness' type. And without the twins being able to participate, things would be precarious if it were just Ilia and I looking after Blake."

"Not for nothing, but you _did_ promise I'd be able to beat the stuffing out of a bunch of people. All the covertness kinda makes that sound unlikely."

"Trust me. If this rally goes the way I think it will, we'll likely be forced to intervene one way or another."

"Wow, planning your missions around the expectation of getting caught. They really teach having realistic goals at Beacon, huh?" Vernal snarked. "Also, props for realizing that you needed backup, and kudos for knowing that I'm _great_ backup, but taking down a whole-ass rally on our own is still pretty much a suicide mission."

"I know. That's why the goal isn't total submission, but sabotage instead. Guerilla tactics, something that I'm sure that the tribe should be familiar with." I paused as Vernal nodded along sagely. "Also, for the record, you make for _terrible_ backup. Or a terrible partner, at least."

"_What'd you say, fuckface?!_"

"Our 'teamwork' back in the fight against Emerald and Mercury was pretty much us just yelling at each other before devolving into two one-on-one fights, with you getting Zwei for backup. If we head into the mission with that kind of sunny optimism, we'll get shredded and/or torn to pieces." Vernal grumbled some expletives under her breath, but made no rebuttal. "Today is about getting used to one another, for lack of a better phrase. Basically, I'm trying to slam our styles together and hope they form some semblance of meshing."

"Fine fine, I get it! So, what's the plan then?"

"Hah…I did promise you a full day of sparring and training…" I watched Vernal's eyes light up. "Discussion on the plan will come after that, hopefully with Blake around once we get a hold of her."

"Well, good to know that you can do more than just bluff. I can respect that." Vernal placed her water down and grabbed her chakrams, turning to face me with renewed energy. "Let's see how well we 'mesh' together after all this, huh partner?"

"I think you'll find that I'm full of surprises, Vernal…" I replied nervously holding Mirror's Edge at the ready.

"Doubt it!"

… … …

"You know Vernal, if you keep up with the jaw-dropped expression I'll get used to it more than you glaring at me." I leaned back, expecting a swipe in my direction, but it seemed that Vernal really was dumbfounded by my persona, among other things.

"You…Specter…Junior…Torchwick…Taurus?!" Vernal attempted to force out. While nearly incoherent, I was able to get the gist given her parroting choice words from the info dump I'd just laid on her.

We were seated in KMMI's dorm room, having finished our sparring sessions and showered up. After settling down, I proceeded to inform her about some of the specifics of the rally mission, the upcoming meeting with Torchwick and Neo, and most importantly, my identity as the Specter and what that meant to the evil powers at large.

"So you're really the Specter? You're not fucking with me, are you?" Vernal had regained her ability to speak apparently, and now eyed me with open suspicion from her position against my bed's backposts. "Who else knows about this?"

I sighed. "I'm not joking, and I wouldn't do so about things this important. As for who knows, that includes Lil Miss Malachite, Junior, the twins, Ilia and Blake. I also have the sneaking suspicion that Torchwick and Neo might know as well."

Vernal was counting off the number of people and coughing every time a particularly dangerous entity was mentioned. "Geez, I take back what I said about you slacking off then. You've…been busy then, with the jobs you've taken? And this last mission you went on, the one that landed you on the shit list of half a dozen killers…"

"Counting the fact that team STRQ were there and adding all the people affiliated with either side, it's well over a dozen," I admitted, before staring intently at Vernal. "Which is why my identity _needs_ to remain hidden, alright? If I'm found out, there's Ozpin, Cinder and Adam to deal with, not to mention the Valean and Mistralian governments. And worst of all…Raven…"

At that, Vernal actually starting laughing, her head knocking back against the foot of my bed. After a good half-minute of her doing so and my glancing quizzically at her, she composed herself slightly. "Actually, now that you mention it…Raven's been trying to figure out who the Specter was for years. She said that a successful operative in Mistral meant less success for the tribe. Lumping in how you managed to escape from that clusterfuck of a battle, it explains why she was even more on edge now…she thought _you_ were tracking _her_! Hahaha!"

'Oh…that's not good…if she's aware that Amber was the Fall Maiden, and everyone there thinks that I know about the Maidens…_nuts_, she might think I know about her being the Spring Maiden! I mean, I do, but that's knowledge that no one but her should have at the moment!'

Vernal somehow managed to ignore my hyperventilating to continue speaking. "You know, when Raven finds out that _you're_ the Specter, she'll kick your ass twice as hard now!"

'AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH-'

A knock at the door interrupted my internal screaming, and the door opened after a moment to show Ilia walking in with Blake. The cat Faunus froze the moment that she saw me, and having Vernal casually sitting in the dorm likely didn't help matters.

"For the love of gods Blake, just _get inside_." Ilia's freckles flared red for a moment before Blake slowly walked inside the room, and my partner shut the door before turning to see my surprised look. "Uhhh, sorry. It's just been _such a pain_ having to track Blake and get her to come back. I had to listen to five talks about the White Fang! _Five_!"

"The last one wasn't _all_ about the White Fang…" Blake mumbled bashfully, drawing Ilia's ire.

"No, it was about extolling how nice Weiss Schnee can be 'if I give her a chance'. _Which is worse_!"

"Ladies, ladies, you're both pretty. Can we all have a seat and plan an illegal raid like civilized people now?" Vernal smirked as I glanced in her direction, the tattooed brunette having beat me to the phrase by one second.

Blake, however, had locked up once more as her eyes darted around the room and noted the current or former criminal status of all its occupants. Before she could flee though, Ilia had locked a hand around Blake's wrist and guided her to her own chair, my partner opting to sit on her bed.

"Great, now that everyone's here, let's get started. Yes Blake, we know you've been researching the White Fang, it's almost common knowledge at this point. Yes Blake, we know that you found out there's a White Fang rally happening in Vale in a couple of days. Yes Blake, we know that you were planning on attending this rally _alone_, without _any form of backup AND without informing anyone else_. So…anything the curious kitten would like to state in her defense? And no Blake, I did not divulge any of your secrets."

"Not that he had to. I mean, all that bow twitching gave the game away well enough." Blake's hand snapped up to her bow as her eyes widened in fear, while Vernal's smirk grew in equal measure. "The tribe's dealt with undercover Faunus before, usually White Fang operatives. For no one to notice until now though, Beacon's either gotta be full of blind people or Kouzai's little information overload really got to you. Don't worry, he has a habit of doing that apparently."

"Y-you knew…" Blake looked near-catatonic at this point. "How long have you known!? _Did you tell my team_?!"

"Your teammates don't know." Blake sagged in sheer relief. "Mostly because I don't really care about your identity, and wouldn't care enough to tell them anyways." Blake proceeded to aim an amber-eyed glare towards Vernal.

"Vernal, stop antagonizing Blake. Blake, stop getting ready to bolt at every sentence out of our mouths. Ilia, thanks for the good work, I'll get you some food later. Now, if everyone's nice and calm, let's talk about the rally, and what exactly we're doing about it. Good?" After the sheer experience gained from curbing Nora, reeling the twins, and just dealing with Beacon itself on a daily basis, my tone bordered on near-Goodwitch levels of briskness. "Great. Now, to start, Blake. We'll be accompanying you to the rally, not to empower your misguided crusade, but to make sure that you don't do something stupid alone, get hurt and have eight different kinds of hell brought on the rest of us."

"I already told you I don't want-"

"Don't want my help, yup, got it. But you do _need_ it." I stressed the word, and Blake's eyes narrowed. "Plus, if you don't let us help, I'm only a scroll call to Ruby away from letting slip that 'I saw Blake in Vale alone, looking like she's about to do something dangerous.'"

Blake surged to her feet. "You wouldn't dare, not with what I have on you!" She glanced around at a nonchalant Ilia and Vernal. "Do…do they know?"

"That he's the Specter? Yup. It's old news at this point. His whole team already knows." Vernal grinned. "You _could_ tell your own teammates or JNPR, but I'm not sure either would be liable to care exactly. Guess your only option would be to tell Ozpin, and given that he already knows about you, Ilia, Miltia, Melanie and the Branwens, he probably won't care a jot about one more criminal."

'Except that Ozpin _is_ concerned about this particular criminal, since I know about the Maidens, and he probably thinks so too!' I glanced over at Blake, who seemed stymied by Vernal's brutal logic. 'Please take the bluff, even if Vernal doesn't think it's actually a bluff!'

"Damnit…you planned this all along, didn't you?" Blake questioned accusingly.

"Yup."

'Nooooope!'

"Fine, you can help. But there's no way you and Vernal will be able to get into that White Fang rally." Blake looked resigned, but sharpened her focus back admirably quick. "Their standards might have lowered since I left, but there's still too many ways to spot a Faunus from a human to get you both in."

"Not a problem. Vernal and I weren't planning on entering the rally anyways. Our role is to act as support and diversion for when the time comes." Vernal looked at me like I was crazy, while Blake just seemed confused. Thankfully, Ilia seemed to be on-board at least. "The objective is make sure that the White Fang doesn't continue to draw recruits from the population of innocent Faunus, and to ensure that any arms that they've recently stolen make their way out of the Fang's hands."

"Arms? What did the White Fang get their hands on?" Blake asked worriedly. Vernal seemed to be excited at the prospect of black market weaponry.

"Some experimental Atlas tech, likely brought in by Torchwick."

"That's _horrible_!" Blake gasped.

"That's _awesome_!" Vernal pumped a fist into the air.

"Kouzai…" Ilia sighed as the other two devolved into loops of anxiety and excitement, respectively. "We _just_ got Blake back to a normal operating state…"

"Oops…maybe I shouldn't mention the meeting with Torchwick then…" I whispered as Ilia winced.

"WHAT!?"

'Ah Grimmshit…forgot about Faunus hearing…'

… … …

"Sometimes, I'm not sure on whether you're actually a tactical genius, or just a guy with big ears and an even bigger mouth," Junior sighed, passing me a glass of liquid confidence.

"Likely somewhere in the middle." I conceded, sipping at my drink. Looking around, I noticed that Miltia and Melanie were conspicuously absent from the club's space. "Where are the twins at?"

"Vigorously ignoring the both of us," Junior grunted. "You know you're gonna have hell to pay for once this mission's over, right?"

"Mhmm." I downed a bit more of my drink. "And why exactly aren't they here to raise hell at the moment?"

"You really don't get women at all do you? Or more just people in general, maybe. It's because of what you're about to do, or rather who you're about to meet." Junior gestured toward the clock. "In their own way, they're pretty rattled by the thought of you heading out all by your lonesome to meet up with Roman and Neo. Being completely honest, I'm not too comfortable with the idea either."

"It's fine, Junior. Roman and Neo are pretty much in the same boat as us at the moment. If either one of us flips on the other, we've got information to assure mutual destruction." I examined the alcohol swimming in the glass. "And even if this is a trap, there's no one else around this time whose escape I've gotta secure, so I can make a break for it if need be."

"From Roman and Neo, _maybe_. But if that other illusionist shows up? Or Taurus, or gods forbid Cinder herself?"

"Well, I've encountered nearly all of them in combat at some point or another. I know how they work. The only one I don't have a full grasp on is Cinder, and if she shows up, that's news and information in of itself." I plastered a smirk on my face. "If the whole Fiendish Five show up though, I've still got a contingency for that."

Junior glared at me for a moment, trying to determine whether I was being truthful before giving up. "I _still_ don't know how you manage to either lie with such a straight face, or keep pulling aces out of your sleeve. Considering the time we've spent together and my knowledge of your finances, that should be saying something." Then the broker clenched his fists and glanced around his club for a moment. "Speaking of liars, I'm working on tracking down the rats who've been feeding Roman information about my operation. Once I do, I'll make sure that-"

"No harm comes to them." I finished for Junior, fixing him with a reproachful look. "C'mon, you're an information dealer. You know as well as I do that there's no foolproof way to keep any information airtight. There's always a way around."

"Be that as it may, if there are rats scurrying around then my reputation's on the line to exterminate them," Junior replied gruffly.

"Orrrrr, you could work your way around that. After all, if you flush out the rats that exist now, Torchwick and others will just find new ways of infiltrating, and those methods will be unknown to you. Better the enemy that you know than the one you don't. Plus, once you've identified where the leaks are coming from, you can take that opportunity to screw with the leakers by giving them false information. Once a leaker's information is no longer good, their value becomes nonexistent." I finished off my drink and got off the stool, heading out towards my apartment. "Fear never works, at least not permanently. The current situation should be proof of that."

"Still a great idea to have some once in a while!" Junior called out, and I chuckled.

'Given who I'm about to meet, trust me when I say that I've got some fear in me.'

After a stop by the apartment loaned out by Junior for operations as the Specter, I made my way over to the meeting spot designated by Torchwick, or rather Neo. 'Huh, being on top of the ice cream place would give a pretty good view of the alleyway entrance and roof from here. That's probably why Torchwick had the spot-"

"Lovely night for a rendezvous, isn't it?" I paused my train of thought and turned to see Torchwick approaching in all his blasé confidence. "You know, when you first splashed onto the scene a while back, I profess that I was worried that you were here for me. See, there were stories and rumors about you floating in from Mistral, and none could really peg you for what your purpose was. You could've been a bounty hunter for all I knew, and I was the next big fish."

Torchwick grinning wasn't even a concern. Instead, it was Neo's absence that rang the alarms, and I twisted around with my eyes closed in time to spot the acrobat hurtling towards me with Hush. I deflected the parasol away from my body, then snapped my eyes open and jabbed out at Neo's sudden appearance, driving the enforcer away.

If Torchwick looked disappointed, he didn't show it. "I quickly discarded that theory after realizing that it'd be a stupid idea to hunt anyone in the middle of a convention of badasses. After that, my guess shifted over to a hunter against the White Fang, after hearing Taurus bellow and rage about the times that you'd shown up to wreck his missions. But something about that didn't fit either…"

Neo lunged forward again, and I pulled out two scimitars that Junior had loaned me off the standard stock for his men. Not as long as Mirror's Edge, and without a ranged option, they did the trick as I batted Hush away again, before blocking a heel to the chest. Launching a kick of my own, I slanted the angle of my leg so that it flew over Hush, forcing Neo to bend backwards to avoid the boot to her face.

"See, it was actually Neo that figured it out. Makes sense, given how she's better at spotting physical behaviors and whatnot. After she did some recon at Beacon, she had an inkling, but it wasn't till your little tiff that clinched it for her."

Now Neo was sending an endless barrage of lethal parasol thrusts. Its wielder smirked amusedly as I attempted to survive the veritable storm of strikes. Seeing an opening for a literal instant, I took the chance and slashed downward at Neo with one of the scimitars.

Luckily, I also knew from painful experience that it was a trap for her to set up a counter. 'Let's not keep the lady waiting then. Time to play.' Neo twirled around the strike and into a high kick, while her smirk faded slightly as she saw her expression mirrored.

This time the pain of a boot to the face was blunted, as my eyes stayed open while I swung towards Neo's face. A hasty interspersing of Hush block the strike as she back-flipped to bleed the momentum, her heterochromatic eyes shouting confus-

'Huh? Where did that move come from?' Having literally pushed past a strike from Neo, I was so surprised at the turn of events that I almost missed the fact that Torchwick was _still_ speaking.

"-as you might, but there's very few ways to suppress technique when fighting for one's life. Props to you for recognizing that a switch of weapons was in order, as all of your own have been spotted out at this point. But it's a bit late for that at this point, isn't it, Kouzai?"

Neo had moved back to Torchwick's side, and was smiling at me like a content puppy, if it'd just returned mass slaughter. I sighed and breathed deeply, controlling my heart rate as I had my eyes closed and searching for any other recognizable Aura signatures. None were present, but that didn't mean I was being reckless. "Nice try, Roman. Were I less experienced, I might've taken off my mask to show my real identity, but you probably have some sort of recording set up to verify _just in case_."

Melodic Cudgel touched the ground as Torchwick leaned into his weapon while chuckling. "Whew…you're just as paranoid as the rumors give you credit for. No wonder why you haven't been caught by either Cinder or Ozpin, not to mention the Valean and Mistralian governments."

"Enough with the foreplay. If your curiosity's been sated, there's precious little time before the rally happens."

"As you wish. Even assuming that you're _not_ Kouzai Higure, I'm sure you've been informed that the rally tomorrow will be headed by Adam Taurus, and feature some fancy new Atlas weapons to ironically use in their fight for 'equality and justice.'"

"So you've said to Junior already. What kinds of weapons will be showcased at the rally?"

"Regular point-and-shooters. Nothing spectacular to start, but after Taurus heads out it'll be up to the new imports to pick up the slack."

"So you've mentioned." I was thankful beyond belief that our makeshift group wouldn't have to deal with anything as ridiculous as a Paladin. "Any new information that our side should be aware of?"

"Two things, actually. The first is that Taurus expects that his ex will show up at the rally, so take that as you may and plan accordingly." Even masked, I'm sure my surprise was recognizable to professionals like Torchwick and Neo. "That's part of the reason why I asked for you to show up. With you around, Taurus' focus on both the rally _and_ his girl will be shot."

"Meaning that I'll have Adam Taurus' unadulterated killing intent all for myself." I finished dryly. "And the other piece of information?"

"Right, that." Torchwick actually looked a tad sheepish, though he hid it well with his trademark smirk. "After No-legs got himself caught, Cinder's started making it protocol that at least two figures in authority must be present at important functions at all times. Tomorrow's rally is one of those, meaning Taurus will have himself a platonic plus-one."

"And would you happen to know _who_ that second person might be?"

"Ah ah ah, like I told Junior, I can't give too much of the game away, or it'll be my head and you'll all be left with nothing." Torchwick tapped his hat. "The information was about the _number_ of people, not who. If you are who I think you are, you'll piece things together."

"I can feel the confidence already," I sighed. More than I expected, and less than I wanted out of the meeting. I turned and began walking away, making sure to keep my eyes closed in case of further attacks by Neo. "Rest assured, we'll bring some noise to the rally."

"I'm sure you will. And one more thing, kid." I paused, and turned sideways to level Torchwick with a masked stare. "Masks and the like are only good so long as you go whole hog on them. If you don't find a way to keep the mask and the person separate, and make sure the two are _separate_, some less scrupulous people than Neo or I'll catch on. And believe me…you do _not_ want that."

This time, it was Torchwick and Neo that moved, and quickly disappeared off the rooftop as I remained still, silently staring up at Remnant's broken moon.

**A/N: Next chapter's shaping up to be a doozy, but I'm looking forward to it as well. I'm also looking forward to getting a haircut later in the month once my area opens up, because it's been a hot minute since the last one.**

**Gizmo Gear: I'll assume you're referring to Neo and Roman cottoning onto who the Specter is, 'cause there's almost a flow chart at this point of who knows what secrets. Gods knows Kouzai must have one in those books of his.**

**Raidentensho: Leader classes are an element of Beacon that isn't confirmed in canon, but I'm sure exists, so we'll see about having some time with our leader characters. **

**HappyHulk: Tuesday might perhaps work for the short term as an update day, but I suppose I'll have to sit down and think about what fits the schedule better, as I'd prefer to avoid any jarring schedule changes if I can help it. And writing weekly is kind of an outlet and exercise all its own, so I'm happy that its able to help any readers as well.**

**The-Anti-Akuma: It's unfortunate that Kouzai was reprimanded for the reunion match with Vernal, but it's part and parcel for how Ozpin operates. In order to keep Amber on Beacon grounds, best to prevent an entourage of students accompanying her. As the organizer and original purveyor of that negotiation, Kouzai is the one that seems to have the best chance of circumventing Ozpin's rules thus far, and happened to be readily available for punishment after the fight. Then again, there are times where Kouzai manages to get away with things that are entirely his fault. It's a matter of who's available to link to the trouble, and how characters perceive the chain of events.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 06/15/20**


	40. Chapter 37: The Best Defense

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Happy Tuesday all! Here's to the first of a series of Tuesday updates for the time being, while I slog through the condensed speed hell that's summer classes. At least I don't have to head onto campus due the continued quarantine measures. **

Chapter 37: The Best Defense

Chapter Date: 06/15/20

"Alright, is everyone clear on their roles?"

"Blake and I are en route to the recruitment rally. Barring any extreme circumstances, there won't be any issues getting in." Ilia showed up on the scroll call with their infiltration talents showcased admirably. Her hair was lightened to a sunny shade of blonde, her eyes shifted to green, and her skin paled. In addition, her hair had been curled slightly as to make my partner nearly unrecognizable to all but those who knew her closely.

Meanwhile, Blake…

"I still don't see why my hair _and_ ears needed to be dyed." Blake, now temporarily a brunette, huffed into the scroll beside Ilia. "My change of clothes would've been enough."

"Adam Taurus is supposed to be at the rally, a man who knows every facet of your appearance, and you think a wardrobe change is enough to throw him off?" I scoffed. It _had_ been enough to get Blake into the rally in the show but Adam of all people hadn't been there, and in all honesty, that still shouldn't have been sufficient for someone formerly of the Vale branch of the White Fang, let alone the daughter of the White Fang's founder. It worked for the plot, but this was the real deal. "The options were to either dye your hair, give you color contacts, or conceal your Faunus trait and fake your having a different one. Only one of those won't inhibit you in the event of combat."

"Is he always this bossy?" Blake's voice came from offscreen, and Ilia giggled as she saw my unimpressed face looking up from her scroll.

"At least he made sure that you were given Faunus-friendly dye." Ilia shrugged. "Also, we're getting close to the rally point, so we'll have to sign off for now."

"Understood. Good luck." I sighed as the two Faunus disappeared from the scroll call, rolling my neck before clearing my throat. "Okay, now that that's out of the way, is everyone else ready?"

"Tch, not for babysitting duty I'm not." Vernal seemed to have gotten over her shock of my being a criminal and was back to the default state of annoyance.

"Unfortunately, the likelihood that either Adam sees Blake and everything goes to hell, or Blake can't stop herself from getting involved and everything goes to hell are both relatively high." I sighed. "I've already told Ilia to threaten Blake with using Lightning Lash on her, but if things go south, there'll be _a lot_ of White Fang grunts between them and escape that'll need punching."

"_That_, I'm ready for…don't get beaten now." Vernal ended her call as well, and I focused on the remaining participants.

"Junior, Miltia, Melanie, how're things looking on your end?"

"We're doing fine, kid. I've got the boys checking in every ten minutes, and the twins are down on the floor making sure to double-check on things. The club and we are all handled for now. You should focus on what you're about to do."

"This is my way of focusing. Making sure the other positions are handled leaves me to do mine. And getting confirmation on who's where will help to tell me where people are not." I hefted the replacement blades in my hands, testing their weight and range. "You're sure these swords will hold up in a fight?"

"Neither Lil' Miss nor I skimp on looking after our own. The blades aren't exactly bleeding edge, but they're fine quality and will last. Same goes for the Tyro's you've got. Any reason you needed so many?"

"Call it an extra precaution. Something that Torchwick mentioned when I met with him and Neo. On that note, he better have things set up on his end, or I'll have to get _much more_ up close and personal than I'm comfortable with."

"And exactly how close are you comfortable being to Adam Taurus?"

"It ranges between five and ten miles away, depending on the weather, location, and if Blake is in a hundred-mile radius of either one of us." I reached the rooftop of the warehouse where the rally was being held. "I'll need to be on another line for this. Contact us if something happens."

"Don't hold back, Kouzai. Taurus is out for blood, and anyone'll do."

"Don't I know it?" I whispered after ending the call. "Okay…time to be the mask…"

… … …

"I hate him. Have I ever mentioned that I hate him?"

"I lost count after about the first hundred." Ilia rolled her eyes at her recently reunited friend ranting again about her partner and other friend. "I'll humor you for the sake of you staying silent during the rally though. What about him is so unforgivable that your team leader, your partner and _I myself_ have no issues with him, but you do?"

"He's so _invasive_ when it comes to other's problems and lives, that it makes having your own plans and secrets impossible." Blake hissed, ears twitching freely without the bow. "And once he knows some aspect of your life, some secret, it's like he has an inside joke about it that you yourself aren't privy to! It's happened with Yang and her mother, Weiss with Winter and Qrow, _and _me."

"So, your issue with him is that he knows more about others than you, and possibly more about you than you yourself know?" Illia summed up succinctly, making Blake wring a hand agitatedly as they progressed further into the warehouse. "I have to say, with all respect to you and to our friendship, it sounds like you're miffed because he appears more worldly and mysterious than you, which is kind of your shtick."

"Which I might be okay with, if he weren't such a bumbling idiot half the time we see him." Blake raised a hand up to her face before realizing that the White Fang recruit mask was already on her face. "Not to mention, I actually _tell_ my teammates and friends about the secrets that might affect them, instead of keeping things all to myself like a certain someone."

"Okay, that I'll grant you. My partner's secrets have secrets, and at times feels like an enigma wrapped in a conundrum. The thing is though, does that really matter?"

"Huh?"

"Unless you're the smartest person on Remnant, you'll always be meeting people who know things that you don't. Even knowing more than they do won't stop you from having questions. A person having more information than another happens everywhere. Sometimes information is shared, and sometimes it isn't. What I've come to recognize after having him as a partner though, is that what he does with that information is always with the best intentions and outcome in mind. Take when we first met him, or when he showed up in that field in Vale, or right now. Gods knows how he's able to be where he needs to be, but I'd sooner eat Lightning Lash than think that he means to lead us astray."

Blake looked conflicted. "I…"

"Attention, all new recruits." The voice cut straight through the chatter in the echoing warehouse, and right through the thoughts swirling in Blake's mind, if her rigid posture was anything to go by. Her reaction was understandable though, despite knowing ahead of time. "Thank you for appearing here tonight. I am glad that our cause finds such strong support among our brothers and sisters."

Adam Taurus walked out onto the stage, giving a face to the voice coming through the speakers that had been set up throughout the warehouse. Thunderous cheers rang out as the White Fang commander basked in the applause, and Ilia placed a hand on Blake's shoulder as her friend was looking towards the ground. After a minute of this, Adam raised his hands, and silence swept throughout the room again.

"I'm sure you have heard about the recent battle at the Vale docks, where members of the White Fang did battle alongside…humans in order to work towards crippling Jacques Schnee and his ilk. I am here tonight to confirm to you the truth of those rumors." Adam motioned to the side of the stage, and Ilia fought to keep her appearance from shifting involuntarily in reaction to the anger at the newcomer.

"Thank you, thank you! Please, hold your applause." Torchwick swaggered out while twirling his cane, seemingly oblivious to the hushed whispers making their way around the-

BANG

The crowd fell silent once more as glass rained down from above onto the stage. Adam slowly lowered Blush and looked out towards the crowd. "Make no mistake, brothers and sisters. Our alliance with these humans is not trading one human master for another. Everything that we do, everything that _I_ do, is for the Faunus. To that end, this man is here to aid our cause."

"Thank you for that, _Commander_ Taurus." It would've taken a very gullible person not to notice the insincerity dripping off Torchwick's lips while addressing Adam. "Now, I can clearly see among a good number of you that humans aren't exactly at the top of your list, unless it has the word 'kill' put in front of it. Lucky for the Faunus, humans aren't the best at getting along with one another anyways, and have no scruples about stealing from or trying to kill one another. Case in point."

"My role in your cause is to empower those who've been taken advantage of to rise up and give those humans in power the thrashing that they so greatly deserve. And if you doubt my ability to deliver on my own lofty expectation? Well…" Roman gestured behind him, and the banner of the White Fang behind Adam and Torchwick was removed.

"Take a look for yourself."

_Hundreds_ of rifles and submachine guns were stacked row-by-row in the shipping containers laid behind the two. Even at the distance Ilia was, she could tell these firearms weren't the substandard tin that the White Fang had had to make do with in the past. No, this was an arsenal meant for an army, to _put down_ an army.

"Yes, brothers and sisters! _This_ is what our cause offers you. The chance to seize your future with your own two hands! The chance to protect fellow Faunus from further bloodshed in fighting for our cause! The chance to show those like the _Schnees_ what OUR PAIN is like! We are everywhere, in Vale, in Vacuo, in Mistral, in ATLAS! A war will soon come to Vale, and our time will come at last! Vale will be the first to fall, and you all will be the first to bring in a new age!"

Raucous and bloodthirsty cheers rang out in the warehouse, and not a small portion of them came from the section of new recruits. The tension was growing thicker in the atmosphere, and someone seemed to be soaking it all in.

"But first, we must free our oppressed brothers and sisters from their shackles! Tonight, we have the ability to save at least one such Faunus. Isn't that right…_Blake_?"

Ilia flinched as Adam looked directly over to where Blake and her were. A scan of the room showed that the various soldiers posted on the overlook above were facing them as well, with some speaking into scrolls that were likely being fed back to Adam. Worse still, Blake had gone stock-still at the first direct address by Adam since leaving him.

"I don't know why you're here tonight, but I _do_ know that we can be reunited once again. And that is an opportunity that I am not willing to miss." Adam raised a hand, and the soldiers on the perimeter of the warehouse floor began making their way over to the two of them.

"C'mon, anytime now…" Ilia's hand reached for Lightning Lash, ready to-

"A war, hmm? How…prophetic of you, Adam Taurus…"

The voice came through the speakers, and the induced frenzy died down as Adam looked around, testing the mic he wore that no longer responded.

"I had thought my warning shot to you and yours would've been enough to send you running…clearly, you must want another round, another pound of flesh taken from you…"

Ilia shivered. She knew exactly who was speaking, but the methodical tone was ominous to her ears. She didn't know the context of the situation, but one thing was evident…

"If carnage is the only language that you understand now, then far be it for me not to reach out…and deliver a message unto your precious White Fang…"

Despite the distance of three years, the knowledge of her own partner…

CRASH

The warehouse as one looked up at the dark figure that plummeted through the glass roof above, aiming the tip of a blade as he hurtled towards Adam. As Adam raised Wilt to intercept a pistol came out in the other hand and fired towards Adam's legs, forcing the White Fang commander to block with Wilt before rolling away from the stab that cracked and shook the stage. With a great wrenching of wood, the figure rose up to face the warehouse at large.

…The Specter was a terror all its own.

The warehouse erupted into panic, as new recruits and fresh soldiers alike pushed and shoved towards the exits. The hardier soldiers shook off their surprise and continued towards Ilia and Blake, being buffeted by the waves of Faunus.

"Blake, time to go _now_!" Ilia unceremoniously grabbed Blake and pushed along, though her friend's sight remained glued towards the stage.

"But Adam, those weapons, we have to stop them!" Blake came to and actually tried to push back towards the stage, but the sheer numbers of the crowd forced her towards the exit.

"We need to make sure you won't be caught first, and that those weapons are taken care of! _Then_ we focus on Adam," Ilia replied through clenched teeth, hearing the distinct clanging of swords clashing behind her.

"But Adam _and_ Roman are-"

"Don't tell me you're concerned for him _now_," Ilia said flatly. "Besides, he's not alone, and the quicker we get out, the quicker we get back in."

Blake shakily nodded, before Ilia faced forward to find the fastest way to the exit through the crowd.

She'd be damned if she left him to the likes of Adam and Roman.

… … …

'Well, that worked a little _too_ well.' I shook the errant bits of wood stuck on the sword, which seemed fine after the stab into the stage. A look over behind Adam had Torchwick with Melodic Cudgel at the ready, though the thief gave a miniscule nod towards me. 'If the White Fang wants to play me up as the Bogeyman of Faunus, might as well lean into the skid if it scares them off.'

"Torchwick! Go after Blake and her friend! Bring them both to me." Adam kept his eyes focused on me, which meant that he couldn't see Torchwick give me a quizzical look, one that I reciprocated behind my mask.

After my talk with Torchwick and Neo, I thought long and hard about the plan going into the rally, and who would be there backing up Adam. Cinder herself was out, as she considered herself too important to be forced to supervise such a small event, leaving Neo, Emerald and Torchwick. After recalling Torchwick's message, I recognized that Cinder would never allow Roman and Neo to be in the same spot as her without having at least one more capable fighter around, which meant either Roman or Neo. In order to maximize her benefit while keeping risk to herself at a minimum, she would have to send Roman for the speech, and keep Neo behind in order to threaten each of them with the death of the other.

'That part of the prediction came true. So, when all hell would break loose, I'd distract Adam, Vernal would "hold off" Roman from attacking me, and Blake and Ilia could fight their way out themselves if it came to it.' Torchwick shrugged, and started making for the door at the floor above, leaving the group of remaining soldiers in the warehouse still very much conscious and _very_ angry. 'I guess Adam's still has more of a head on his shoulders than I thought. That doesn't bode well for me though, and neither does the number of soldiers left.'

"Look's like you'll get your chance after all, V." I addressed the comms built into the mask.

"_Finally_!" Shots rang out from the side as Vernal bulldozed her way through one of the doors on the floor above, before carving her way through those left. "You sure everything's still peachy?"

'Vernal against mooks, Torchwick playacting against Ilia and Blake, and I get Adam.' I sighed. "I think we'll manage."

"Hells yeah!" Alarmed shouts of pain continued, though Adam and I tuned out the background noise as I faced the furious Faunus.

"_You_…You intend to dog my efforts to save the Faunus at every turn then?" Adam growled, and I could feel the hatred of his glare past both our masks. "And you've even taken Blake hostage as a pawn in your schemes!"

"…Excuse me?"

"To save Blake from being trapped in a fate of indoctrination at Beacon, I will cut you down to free her from your clutches." Wilt was sheathed again as Adam took a stance.

'Huh, look at that. Another change again. Now crazy vengeful stalker ex is now just crazy stalker-'

BANG

Wilt flew forward as Adam rocketed towards his sword. With Chronometry on, I lunged forward, knocking Wilt sideways with my pistol as I slashed out with my sword. Blush came up to block my blade, and Adam wasted no time in launching at my side, forcing me to hurriedly block with my elbow. As I stumbled, Adam dived off the stage and retrieved Wilt, holding it and Blush in both his hands in some mirror of me.

'Okay, maybe he saved the vengeance for me instead.' I looked behind him at Vernal making her way through the White Fang soldiers. 'Not long now. Eyes on the prize then; survival.'

"What's wrong, Taurus? I'm not even a Huntsmen, and you're already balking. What happened to all those boasts about defeating Beacon and Vale?" True to form, my jeers were riling Adam up again, but making him no less dangerous. 'Here we go again.'

"RRRAAAAAHHH!" Adam rushed in, slashing and twirling around with Wilt and Blush. The form was all too similar to my own escrima style, and I holstered my still and drew a second sword, dashing back in to slash outwards with my own of steel.

"DIE ALREADY!" Adam roared, matching my slashes with his own, the reverberations rocking up both our arms. Dozens and dozens of strikes we exchanged, and my arms ached under the assault. Far from tiring though, Adam seemed to be powering through on sheer rage alone.

'So this is what it's like facing someone with two weapons.' I gritted my teeth as the tempo and force sped up again. 'Gods, I must be a nightmare to fight at times. I have to switch the pace up!'

I kicked outward as Adam was forced to block with Blush, sliding back slightly as he sheathed Wilt again. As he chuckled and began lighting red, I paled. 'Grimmshit! He's got enough for Moonslice!'

"_DIE!_" A red crescent streaked forth, and I reacted.

BOOOOM

'COME ON, MORTEM!' I gritted my teeth and pumped more Aura into the gauntlet's Hard-Light Dust shield, watching certain dismemberment forcing its way past the-

"BARRIER!" A wall of silver Aura joined Mortem, and I roared as the Moonslice dissipated against both walls.

"How did you…" Adam trailed off after seeing the gauntlet. "The technology from the Schnee facility. You appropriated it-"

"Among other things," I groaned, feeling the drain on my Aura reserves after using both protective sources. "So, it seems like your ace in the hole can't break past my defense. I wonder what that leaves you with."

"My ability to overpower you with strength alone." Adam declared, pushing past the ineffectiveness of his semblance. Closing my eyes for a moment, I gauged the strength of Adam's Aura.

"He's got more than I feel like I've got at the moment. More prolonged exchanges will continue dragging things out in his favor.' I spared another look towards the warehouse floor, where Vernal was still occupied. I could only hope Blake and Ilia had made their way outside by now. 'Dragging things out a little longer should be the goal here…then again…'

Adam didn't give me anymore time to myself, closing in as Wilt sought out my head. I fell into Adam's pace again, running through the information in my head.

'Don't have more than two limbs, and I can't only block. I don't have any area-of-effect options either.' I ate a kick as I ducked under Blush, but gave as good as I got by hooking Adam in the jaw. We both stumbled a step away, eyeing each other warily. 'Guess there's no other choice. I need Wilt occupied though…'

"Your Aura's bound to be running low," Adam growled, not at all an inaccurate statement. I only had a few exchanges left in me. "This is where you end, Specter."

"If you think so…come and try," I replied, pushing to keep my voice even. Adam took that as in invitation and rocketed in with Wilt at the ready. I chucked my left sword at him, and he instinctively pulled Wilt out of the way, whirling around as he expected the blade to fly back towards him. When gravity took hold instead, he turned back to see me holding a familiar pistol in my grasp.

"Here's _my_ ace," I whispered, tightly gripping Corona with Luna attached, channeling Aura to the gun. "VERNAL!"

"SHIT!" Adam cursed, lighting red.

"_TAKE COVER_!"

_BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM_

… … …

… … …

"No fair, Uncle Qrow!"

"Haha, sorry pipsqueak. Guess I'm still head and shoulders above you. Literally."

"Uncle Qrooowwww!"

Qrow laughed as Ruby ineffectually whaled on his arm and shoulder, doing less damage to him than Zwei on a bad day. Off to the side, Yang and Winter were by the outdoor table chatting about something or other, while Weiss was off to the side by the grill splitting her attention between whatever on Remnant the two older sisters could've been talking about and her own conversation with Tai. Raven, as per usual, was off doing her own thing, but said she'd be back shortly.

"Damn, I _so_ needed the break." He sighed, bringing the iced tea in his other hand up to his lips as he took in the tranquil sky.

_BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM_

Iced tea dribbled out of his mouth as he blankly stared up at where the flash of light had come from, tracking the beam back towards the ground, towards…

"Qrow! Was that…" Tai trailed off as he realized who else was around, though everyone else had also gone silent for a moment. Qrow just nodded his head, before grimacing as his scroll rang.

"Yeah Oz, I heard it. Saw it too."

"Then you understand that this means that the Specter has resurfaced. How soon can you be in Vale?"

"Depending on where it came from, around fifteen minutes."

"Good. Hurry if you can, and I'll send you the location. You shouldn't need it though, as I'm told the building is quite obviously in ruins and on fire." Oz ended the call at that, and Qrow turned away from the sight of summer burgers and towards a smoking Vale.

"Fuck my semblance…"

**A/N: Well, that was definitely something. One way or another, the clock is ticking. **

**Deathreapsonce: I don't know if it's a metaphysical so much as a default response. Be it benefit or flaw, many people have the tendency to deflect to others, whether that's compliments or accusations. I suppose it depends on the context and subjective view.**

**Gizmo Gear: Well, it's an inevitability that any secret with more than one person in the know is bound to be revealed eventually. When that happens though is dependent on outside circumstances. In terms of Roman and Neo cottoning onto the Specter's identity, they definitely have more to gain by revealing that secret than Kouzai does by revealing their allegiances, but we'll see how long that tenuous détente will last.**

**AlexFalTon: Haha, if I was the type to set up zinger questions leading into the next chapter these would be pretty good. And Kouzai had best hope that he's pretty good at keeping secrets.**

**Jessans: I didn't have that image in mind when I wrote that scene, but there are definitely some similarities between the two, but only a few. Those include the brooding, brutal pragmatism and inclination to distance themselves from those they care for out of a sense of protection.**

**Blueassassin996: Yup, the more the Specter involves himself in the game between the two immortals, the harder it becomes to remain unaffiliated and with all secrets intact. And, you know, the threat of extreme pain and death, of course.**

**HappyHulk: As I mentioned, after some consideration, Tuesdays would be more convenient for the time being in regards to updates. We'll see if it sticks come the fall, but thanks for the suggestion.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 06/23/20**


	41. Chapter 38: If the Mountain Won't Come

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: It's Tuesday! And hot, very hot. The whole summer and endless hours of sunlight thing really messes with my perception of time passing, though I suppose that the great equalizer of summer classes is there to firmly ground me, haha. Or you know, just straight up bury me.**

Chapter 38: If the Mountain Won't Come

Chapter Date: 06/23/20

"-up…"

Intense heat, from all sides…

"-get up, already…"

Something was sticking in a fine layer…

"_OI, GET THE HELL UP_!"

It was the sensation of something grabbing onto me shoulder that jolted me up, as my eyes shot open at what should've been a feather-light touch from Vernal. Should've, because I hissed at what were likely at least pinched muscles.

Predictably, Vernal looked to be out of shits to give. "About time you're up! We need to leave, _now_!"

I hacked for breath, noting the increasing amount of smoke in the air. "Adam…where's-"

"Don't know, don't care, not my problem right now." Vernal wrenched me upright, and I felt more than anything the shifting of some plaster and concrete as it crumbled. I stared behind me at the vaguely circular indent in the wall, along with the humanoid shape deeper into the dent.

"I've got a million questions about all that, but I'll have no answers unless you move your ass." I took the hint and collected my weapons hurriedly, before starting into a trot after my temporary partner. A hand up to my face confirmed that the mask was still intact, though the same couldn't be said for parts of my robe. As I saw flames lick at the sides of the warehouse, I looked up and noticed the gaping hole in the ceiling. A glance behind showed a section of the wall cut conspicuously in two.

"Is your scroll…still working?" I panted past the mask on my face. "Blake and Ilia-"

"'Are fine, idiot. They sent a message once they got out, saw it once I was clear of that explosive shitstorm." A derisive glance back let her see the crumpled burner scroll I was showing. "That explains why you're still so worried. Look, we're nearly out of this mess, so we're clear."

"With Qrow likely on the way, not to mention whoever else is nearby, I'm not taking any chances."

… … …

"You know, for a huntsman, you take injuries without Aura shockingly well."

"I spent the majority of my life without having Aura. I consider it dangerous to forget how vulnerable one can be when the chips are down."

"Which is why your getting sloshed is cause for concern." Junior watched as I tossed another double of whiskey down the hatch, though my mouth burned from the cuts that were still fresh.

"I need to cover my bases so that if anyone asks about my injuries, I can tell 'em I challenged Vernal to a drunken spar." A glance down the counter over to the individual in question showed the former bandit throwing back at least double of what I'd had thus far. "Saying that I got creamed by Vernal is a small price to pay for a decent alibi…though I'm slightly worried the part about the drunken spar might become reality if she continues."

"Right, and I'm sure slamming back copious amounts of drink has nothing to do with mitigating the considerable pain you must be in at the moment," Junior replied, unamused. "Miltia, Melanie, either of you wanna smack…oh yeah, forgot they're pretty deep in the cups too."

"Haha! We smacked Torchwick and Taurus! In your faces, team RWBY!" Melanie's jubilant cries were hushed by an irate Blake seated nearby, not nearly as intoxicated as most of the other members sitting at the counter at the moment.

"_You two_, didn't do anything," Blake replied. "Though then again, neither did we."

Miltia nodded along sagely. "So in summary, Blake and Ilia escaped, Torchwick appeared and threw the fight, Vernal trashed the warehouse, and Kouzai and Adam Taurus _really_ trashed the warehouse."

"Exactly. I'd be impressed at how coherent you are, if this wasn't the fifth time that you've tried summing things up," Ilia responded dryly. There was a wary eye over to where I was seated. "Though I'm in agreement on a little confusion as well. I've seen Moonslice in action, but that blast…what did you do?"

"Trade secret. If I told you, I'd have to kill you," I joked, drawing about half a dozen annoyed glares my way. "Okay, fair. I'm not exactly in a solid state to lecture on the particulars of three different branches of science though, so answers will be coming another time."

"Damnit Kouzai, if you weren't injured…" Ilia set her jaw, then perked up with a glance over at the twins and Vernal before pitching her voice slightly. "Now that I think about it, didn't someone say they wanted to smack Kouzai once the mission was over?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I did!"

"Me too! Time to pay up!"

"I'm already on it!"

"Wait guys, _don't_-AAAAHHHH!"

… … …

"Hahaha! C'mon Vernal, tell me again about how you handed Kouzai's ass to him!"

"I normally don't pander to brats, but when it comes to talking about beating Kouzai, I am to please." Vernal smirked as she launched into another rendition of our day-long spar and later 'drunken spar', spinning an exaggerated tale between mouthfuls of food. Around her, Ruby and Nora were listening with rapt interest while also stuffing their faces, Weiss was eavesdropping with poorly concealed glee, and Yang hung on every word with completely exposed glee.

Seated outside of the Xiao Long home on Patch, it was pleasantly surprising to experience the bastion of safety and pivotal home to Ruby and Yang. With tables set up, the conglomerate of RWBY, JNPR, KMMI, CFVY, Vernal, Winter, Qrow and Tai all mingled inside and outside of the house as Tai put his back into cooking enough food to feed a couple dozen Huntsmen, which about translated into an army.

"Glad to see some things don't change much." I sighed and bit down on my burger, nodding to the table of Jaune, Ren, Yatsu and Fox as we took refuge in the normality we could provide one another from the insanity that was our teammates. "So, how did everyone else's break go?"

"The horror…the sheer horror…" Jaune looked like a man marooned on an island, his eyes unseeing at the rest of us as we traded confused looks.

"What Jaune means to say, is that the combination of Pyrrha, Nora, and Jaune's sisters was unusually synergistic, incredibly potent, and devastatingly humiliating for our team leader." Ren appeared to be taking the events of his break in stride, but I could tell that he looked a tad thinner and cagier than before. "Suffice to say, the combination of nine headstrong and energetic woman took a toll on our collective patience…and sanity, but I'm sure that comes as no surprise to the rest of you."

"My teammates accompanied me home to Anima during the break. While there, Coco insisted on a team excursion to Mistral proper on what she deemed a 'fashion extravaganza'. Her relentless pursuit…truly, the kingdoms hold great darkness within…"

"Yeah, Ren and I can confirm that Mistral's underworld is pretty legendary, mostly for worse rather than better."

"You misunderstand. I was referring to the world of fashion, the underbelly of the city…" Yatsu shuddered.

'Trust us, the industry is _cutthroat_,' Fox supplied, and we took their word for it.

"And of course, stories of what you've been up to seem to be making the rounds today," Ren remarked as the girls table shared a laugh, likely at my expense. "Other than engaging in ill-advised bouts with Vernal, how did the rest of your break go, considering that your whole team remained in Vale?"

"Well, there was much drinking done. As for how much, consider how much one might have when having Miltia and Melanie as teammates, and how much it might take to fight Vernal while drunk." Yatsu and Fox winced, while Jaune looked on confused, considering the man _still_ hadn't gotten sauced before.

"On the note of your teammates, I suppose now would be a more pleasant time to inquire about a potential favor to ask of you." Yatsu's statement had me looking towards him curiously, and the gentle giant swallowed. "Regarding your teammates…that is, Miltia and Melanie…if not inconvenient…"

"You want me to help set the two of you up with them?" My question had even Fox nodding along numbly as I scratched my head. "I mean, I wouldn't have refused you. Not to mention, there's no need to use a favor on this or anything, they're both-"

'And there wasn't a need to get favors from you either for saving you,' Fox replied, trying to keep a straight face despite his skin being just a shade darker than normal. 'Why don't we just chalk it up to an ask between friends?'

"Of course, rest assured that your kindness will be repaid, once it comes to asking our aid in setting you up as well." Yatsu's small smile hinted at something that flew over my head, but must've been a private joke between him and Fox.

"Yeesh, and I thought it was just the girls who got up to gossip on hookups and whatnot." Qrow slid onto the bench next to Yatsu before chowing down on his own stack of burgers. "Oh damn these are good. Anyways, got the gist of what your break looked like from the play-by-play over there."

A pointed finger revealed that the girls' tables were down the members of RWBY, leaving Vernal, Nora and _Velvet_ free to start what looked like a burger-eating contest. "Lucky Ruby and Yang aren't there for that, they'd eat the rest under the table. They mentioned something about hearing Blake out about somethin'-Getting sidetracked again. Wanted to ask if you noticed anything peculiar during your time off. I heard from those twins about your team tipping the elbow a bunch down at Junior's, so I figured it'd be a good idea to check in, considering your recent status as abductee an' all."

"Your concern is overwhelming," I drawled, mentally checking a box under the list of moves that Ozpin would likely make regarding the rally. "If you're referring to the White Fang rally that happened downtown, I didn't see anything happen but saw the aftermath of the warehouse in the morning. Read about it in the papers as well, though I'm not sure how credible the sources were, given that the writers made it sound like it was the advent of a Faunus insurrection."

"Damn fearmongers'll do anything to drive sales up. Can't say I had you pegged for the kind to read newspapers though."

"What can I say? I like to dot my I's and cross my t's, literally in some instances." I let the grin slide off my face in a show of seriousness. "On that front though, any advance news you can send our way on behalf of yourself or Ozpin? Any move of the White Fang's might mean a move by those other people as well."

Qrow tussled his feather-like hair back. "Can't say I know much more than you lot do, to be honest. I did a look-through of the place pretty soon after shit went down, but not many clues beyond the obvious. All I can provide is that the arms picked up by Vale PD were very much on the new side of Atlas' newest ventures. Course, not that that matters considering most of it is either crumpled or slag at this point."

"And the perpetrators, or ringleaders rather?"

"No one worth mentioning was caught. All evidence points to someone or something have crashed the party and making things hell, but jury's still out on who showed up and who fought who. I'll tell you though…whoever they were, they've got serious firepower on their side. The kind that means bad news regardless of who has it."

"Well, doesn't that sound lovely? Thanks a bunch though Qrow, being in the know helps, and we know you didn't have to clue us in."

"Nah, keeping you kids in the dark after all this would be doing you bunch a disservice." Qrow smiled easily, despite still keeping a great many secrets to himself. Not that I, or almost anyone, was any different.

"Either way though, thanks for the heads up. Now I'll just have to double down on packing in the food while-huh?" I paused as team RWBY emerged from inside the house. Ruby was smiling broadly, Weiss looked to be contemplative, Blake appeared close to tears of the happy variety, and Yang…her expression was neutral. Frighteningly so. After a moment, the brawler glanced over to our table and gestured me over silently. I gulped and put down the sustenance, though as far as last meals went, it hadn't been bad at all. "If you'll excuse me, I think I'm about to have my face pummeled in."

"What else is new?" Qrow and the others shared a laugh as I followed Yang and the others over to a more secluded part of the yard.

"If this about getting extra licks in, I'll have to advise against that as I'm-OOF!" I was cut off by a surprisingly forceful yet gentle hug from my fellow team leader.

"Thank you for keeping her secret and backing her up…_thank you_…" I awkwardly patted Ruby's head, unsure of whether doing more or less would have me ended by firing squad considering Yang, Qrow and Tai's proximity. A look over at Blake had her shrugging her shoulders, but she wore an honest smile, which was quite acceptable as legal tender in my book.

"Ahem." Weiss' voice drew me over to the heiress, whose reaction to all of this was the one I was most curious about. "After news of Blake's true identity has come to light, it occurs to me that such explains her initial animosity towards you previously. Furthermore, given that you respected her privacy until she saw fit to properly inform us is justification for appreciation. So thank you, Kouzai Higure."

"You guys are giving me too much credit. It's not like I'm some exceptional paragon of morality after all, considering that I'm not the only one who knew who Blake was before Beacon." I carefully pried Ruby's arms off me before I could start losing air.

"Is that so?" Weiss glanced off to the side towards the picnic area, though I wasn't sure if she was looking at anything in particular.

"I guess I'm next, huh? I'd say I'm insulted that you'd think I'd deck you in front of all our friends and my family, but…" Yang trailed off with a trademark smirk. "Whatever the case is, you had my partner's back even when I was giving you shit, so I'll give you kudos for that."

"W-Well, I'm not sure what to say, but it's good to know that I'm not on RWBY's shitlist anymore. It's quite detrimental to my health and survival." I joked, getting a couple eye rolls from the girls and a sagely nod from Ruby.

"Yup, so you're in the clear, both from looking over your shoulder and being on Blake-duty. Just leave the investigating and crime-solving to us!"

"…Excuse me?"

"Well, when Blake spilled, she mentioned the White Fang rally that's been in the news recently, along with the fact that there's more set to happen, including more Atlas tech getting smuggled in. So rather than busting your back backing her up, let her teammates handle it!" Yang grinned magnanimously, oblivious to the hole opening up in my stomach.

'They want to crash _more_ rallies? But the Paladin…'

"It's admirable that you took such a proactive stance in making up for your kidnapping by this cohort of evildoers, but rest assured that we are not ones to let you risk your wellbeing without a proportional response on our part." Weiss nodded like seeking out terrorists while still in school was a _normal_ thing to do.

'I went out so they _wouldn't have to_! Ah, how do I stop them from…well, this is gonna go fantastically bad…'

"I don't think any of us should be putting ourselves on the line, now that Beacon and Vale have been clued in. Especially considering how dangerous that first rally was and the aftermath, I think it'd be much safer for everyone to hang back for a while, myself and you all included." I looked down at Ruby, who looked up with eyes shining in defiance. 'Ah damnit…'

"I think we have things handled amongst our team. Right guys?" The other three nodded along to Ruby, and she cheekily smiled at me. "And besides, not that you're a bad leader or anything, but I think my team should be capable of handling things better than a group that got put together on the fly, most of whom weren't your actual teammates."

'I just knew they were gonna be stubborn about this…' I steeled myself for what came next.

"Regardless, I don't think I can allow this to happen in good conscience after the first rally, not to mention the promise that I've made Qrow, Tai and Winter." Predictably, telling a team of huntresses that a man was going to stop them did wonders for the argument to stand down. "You know, a word to Ozpin or even Glynda on what you all are planning would be more than enough to keep you from pressing forward."

"So what, after you yourself busted up one of these rallies, with some people of questionable strength, you're getting on the high horse and threatening to tattle on us?" Yang looked thoroughly unimpressed.

"Honestly, it's more of an empty threat than anything." Mostly because Ozpin would assuredly nudge them on. "Instead, why don't we assuage my concerns and let me make certain that you all are capable of protecting yourselves out there?"

"So you wish to test us in battle? I don't wish to sound conceited, but your record and ranking in sparring compared to our own is adequate at best." Weiss had her heiress tone employed.

"I couldn't do it by myself, no. But with my team, against yours?" It slowly dawned on them what I was suggesting, and that only seemed to make them more confident.

"Kouzai, are you sure you want to do this?" Ruby questioned, and her concern for my wellbeing was appreciated. Demeaning, but appreciated.

"Not particularly, but if it has to be done." I looked each of them in the eye. "A week after classes start, during one of our free training periods. I'll get someone neutral like CFVY or Amber to officiate."

"It's your funeral," Yang joked as I walked off, trying to appear much more confident than I felt.

'I'm not sure what'll suck more…the actual fight, or this next part…' I approached the table where my teammates were at. "Hey guys, quick question…"

"Yes?"

"Mhm?"

"What's up?"

"…How do you all feel about a little spar next week?"

**A/N: Welp, you all wanted some action, here it is. In all seriousness, it's an interesting conundrum, trying to keep people integral to the show's plot alive when the plot no longer necessarily holds sway. Now for reviews.**

**Raidentensho: A different color palette between his normal clothing and outfit as the Specter would likely do Kouzai some good. Unfortunate then that he's already known for his dark clothing, though wardrobe changes aren't uncommon when you're at the mercy of the twins, Yang and Coco.**

**Gizmo Gear: If by heating up you mean things are on fire, then yes, quite the heat.**

**Netapel: The benefits of having such experimental weaponry have made themselves pretty clear to Kouzai at this point. The drawbacks of such will start to show themselves though, as so happens with all weapons.**

**Ivanaccco: Thanks for the comments, and it is true that Kouzai has managed to scrape by thus far by being of the "jack of all trades" persuasion, with his areas of expertise being his contingencies and knowledge through the show. However, advance knowledge goes a long way towards capitalizing on weaknesses, and having that while characters such as Ruby or Ren try to fix their own allows Kouzai to improve himself as well. **

**Blueassassin996: The amount of asskicking Kouzai is able to produce is strongly proportional to the amount of preparation he has going into the situation. Getting ambushed by Mercury and Neo without his weapons? Loses hard. Fighting a subpar Mercury while also having less than full Aura? Much better result. Going in to fight Adam with full knowledge that he would be there and time to prepare? Well, that's what you've got before you now.**

**R26: Changing Blake's appearance wasn't really meant to throw off Adam, considering that he expected Blake to be at the rally regardless. It's more for plausible deniability in case questions come out about **_**who**_** was there. Say perhaps, questions asked by a silver-eyed team leader, her team, and her not-so-drunken uncle? As for Kouzai's actions, he's still dependent off knowledge of the show's events, which will have quickly diminishing returns as time passes. Luckily, he can supplement that with information gained real-time, like that which was provided by Torchwick. And regarding Adam's Moonslice, it's not weak at all, but it does happen to be dependent on his Aura level and force absorbed. Couple that with the fact that the sum of Orichalchum, Lightning Dust and Luna is a meticulous combination, it's reasonable as to why that can match up to Adam's brute force.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 06/30/20**


	42. Chapter 39: Better Than Force

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: And here we are, on the cusp of a boiling hot July. I have made the grand and age-old mistake of starting multiple video games that I enjoy, and am now attempting to decide which to prioritize while fitting in the other unimportant tasks, like summer classes, eating and sleeping. In all seriousness, I hope that everyone's week either becomes or remains well going into Independence Day this weekend.**

Chapter 39: Better Than Force

Chapter Date: 06/30/20

"YOU DID _WHAT_?!"

"Hey, you did say that you were fine with having a spar…"

"With ourselves, sure! Against team RWBY, _hell no_!"

Team KMMI had returned to Beacon, and it was there that I clued in my teammates about who we'd be facing in the upcoming week. Predictably and understandably, they were not pleased.

"Why are you like this? What possesses you to make plans that shave years off our collective lifespans each time they happen, if not potentially kill us outright?" Miltia laid back on her bed, dramatically bringing a hand to her head. "Where did we go wrong in raising you?"

"You didn't raise me."

"And that's the issue. Otherwise we could've knocked some sense into you as a kid, before your brain decided to let the part of you that registers danger shrivel up and die!"

I was seated in my desk chair, watching my teammates process the turn of events. Miltia was languidly despairing on her bed, while Melanie was more actively pacing a furrow into the carpet. My partner was seated on the bookshelves by the window, looking out in contemplation.

"You're trying to protect them, aren't you?" The twins looked confused, but I nodded along, pleased that at least my partner was on the same wavelength. "Knowing Blake, and her teammates, stopping one rally won't satisfy their need to get involved. And considering how dangerous that rally alone was, it's best they not be around in case any of the really dangerous weapons get introduced."

"Exactly. Telling Blake Belladona and team RWBY as a whole to not charge headfirst into criminal groups is like trying to break Jaune's Aura with a bag of chips; it doesn't work." Unless you were dealing with the Jaune of the show, but the two were worlds apart. "Nevermind the fact that the warehouse literally blew up after Taurus and I went at it."

"That actually brings up a good question; what exactly did you do to counteract Adam's Moonslice?" Ilia had garnered the twin's attention, and now all three of them were watching with interest. "That blast's firepower was up there with the most destructive things I've seen, and that's saying something given my background. You also didn't look like you were carrying a large cannon or anything of the sort into rally, and it's not Semblance-related either."

'Welp, this' gonna be a fun talk…gods knows the asskicking I'll be catching from Vernal for explaining things without her…' I sighed. "Alright. You all wanna hear another secret then? So be it."

"But I have to be clear about this…" I pulled out Luna and Corona and placed them on my desk within view of the girls. "What I explain to you cannot, _cannot_ make its way around to other people. Not our friends, not our enemies, not Ozpin, not even Junior. Are we clear on that?"

"You're asking quite a bit of us here. Keeping things from Junior is tough at the best of times, and that's if our heart is even in it." Melanie held my gaze for nearly a full minute before relenting. "Fine."

"I've no problems either. Whatever you've got to say seems important enough to stay secret, so I will deem it such for now." Miltia nodded her consent.

Last was Ilia, though I'm not sure why I was worried. My partner smirked as I met her eyes. "If I'd wanted to sell you out, I'd have done it years ago. This is just a little more clarity into the mystery that's Kouzai Higure."

"So everyone is in agreement then?...Very well. When I mentioned there's three branches of science that go into this, I wasn't kidding. To start, I'll talk about Corona. You've all seen it, seen me use it, yes? Well, I've given it some modifications that normally go unused. In addition to it's mithril parts, it's had other parts replaced by adamantium instead to reinforce it. The markings on the side are also more than decorative, as they're magnetically conductive as well. The attachment slot for Luna and Corona's grip are both made of orichalchum as well, in order to boost connectivity between the two. More on that later. And last, I've got a special set of bullets custom-made, with ferrous slugs encased in a shell of cut Lightning Dust, instead of using Dust alone. Now, any questions so far?"

"Uhhhh…" Melanie seemed at a loss for coherent words, and Ilia wasn't far behind. Miltia though…

"So the special bullets and the conductive rails are meant to amplify the force of the bullet, and the modifications are meant to help with that?" Miltia crossed her arms, a sign that she'd have brought a hand to her chin but for her choice of weapon. "And this is why you mentioned branches of science?"

"Yup. The idea behind the amplified shot comes from taking aspects of Dust Studies, along with magnetism, in order to make a simple metal slug deliver obscene amounts of force. With those alone, Corona is already stronger than most firearms."

"But that's not all. You mentioned a third aspect to the concept." Ilia's eyes fell upon Luna, and I could see the wheels running in her head. I decided to save her the trouble.

"Got it in one. The other part to it is Luna here. I've already told you that she's made of orichalchum, right?" My teammates nodded, and I paused to phrase the next part of my explanation carefully. "Luna's unique orichalchum ability allows the user's Aura to become stored into the weapon, and then be released in one fell swoop, kind of like Moonslice. Put Luna and Corona together, and you can see where I'm going with this."

"Aura channeling can reinforce or amplify a weapon, and powers Dust…but it's dependent on how much Aura goes into it, and the body can only handle expelling so much…if you could transfer Aura to a different source and allow it to accumulate, then focus it all towards a singular use…" Ilia trailed off, not needing to speak the last part out loud. The results spoke for themselves.

"So all that firepower, just from a handgun and knife? No wonder why you don't want the others hearing about it. It'd definitely make anyone who has to face you in sparring scared shitless." Melanie mused, before stopping. "Not for nothing, but why haven't you used it before? In sparring I can get, considering that there wouldn't even be a smear of the other guy left, but you didn't even use it in the fight against Mercury."

"And it's going to stay that way for the foreseeable future. Part of the reason that Ozpin and any of our enemies can't find out about this is because the Specter used it when he interfered in the fight between team STRQ and Cinder's group, and again when fighting Adam in the warehouse. Them finding out that the weapon belongs to me is pretty much a lock on outing me as the Specter." I let the gravity of that information sink in, before dropping the other shoe. "Not to mention, either side would be thrilled to figure out exactly how it works, and then replicate it for themselves. Also…the first time I used it, I kinda destroyed Cinder's arm. Her original one, I mean. And probably her eye too, now that I think about it."

Ilia's skin visibly paled. "And that's why she has it out for you so badly. Not only did you ruin her plan, you also took your pound of flesh in the process. No wonder why Adam was so quick to leave after that last clash."

"He probably should've stuck around, all things considered. Those shots are powerful, but they also come with a recoil like no other. The first time I fired it, I'm pretty sure I broke ribs. Even this last time, using Mortem as a shield, I still crashed into a wall and was knocked out for a little bit. So it's no without its drawbacks." I paused to evaluate how everyone was taking it. The twins understandably looked a bit nervous at having the parts to what was pretty much a not-so-insignificant bomb in the room. Ilia had returned to her normal skin tone, and was inscrutable once more. "So, if that's good enough for everyone, I'm gonna turn in for the night. Gods knows it's gonna be a long day tomorrow searching for someone to officiate our match."

Miltia looked confused. "I would've thought people would be chomping at the bit to see our match go down."

"It's not finding someone that'll be the long part. It's the amount of time they'll spend laughing at the idea of it all, and what they expect to happen to us."

"Oh…right…"

… … …

"HAHAHAHAHA! OH, THAT'S GREAT! PFFFT!"

I sat across from Coco and watched as the fashionista fell to pieces, struggling not to collapse over her lunch in laughter. Next to me, Yatsu and Fox were much more reserved with smiles on their faces, but I just knew that Fox was mentally laughing up a storm. Velvet was the only serious one, and her Faunus ears twitched out of what I assume was concern.

"Are you all sure this is necessary? I wouldn't want to see the tenuous friendship you've built up with Weiss, Blake and Yang crumble under any resentment stemming from the spar."

"If anything, I'm getting points with Yang for trying to settle things over a brawl instead of a logical debate. Then again, I'm losing out as well since the goal is to stop them from going out in the first place. Weiss I can deal with so long as I'm on Ruby's and Winter's good sides. As for Blake…we'll cross that bridge if and when we get there." I paused as Coco was _still_ laughing somehow. "Are my team's prospects of winning really that bad? I thought you'd be the kind of person to claim how the rankings 'don't mean squat when you're out in the field' or something. Or maybe that's Qrow?"

"Sorry Higure, that was rude of me," Coco chuckled, fixing her shades as she composed herself. "I wasn't laughing about your chances, honest. I just found it hilariously sad that most things that surround you usually end up with fighting, with you almost always in the center of the mix."

"Yes, because getting the snot kicked out of me is my intention." I deadpanned, one pair of shades staring at another. "This is a school for huntsmen and huntresses though, so forgive me for explaining why so many fights might occur. And it's not like _everything_ I do ends up in a fight; I'm sure once I find someone I'm interested in, there won't be fighting there."

'Are you actually being serious right now?' Fox's thoughts were tinged with more than a hint of incredulity, and I nodded in the affirmative. 'Oh, you poor, deluded soul. Your end will be swift and oh so painful.'

"Worry not, Fox. Kouzai still has ample time to discover the error of his perception, before war the likes of which he has not seen occur." Yatsu casually continued eating, as if that was the end of that terrifying line of conversation.

"So Kouzai! Didn't you have something that you wanted to ask us? Any one of us in particular?" Velvet seemed interested in the prospect of a spar among friends now that I'd explained things out to her, if her ears were anything to go by.

"Ok…Right. So I wanted to ask you all if you'd be willing to officiate the spar between my team and Ruby's…what is it this time?" My request had been punctuated by two frowns from Fox and Yatsu, a crestfallen expression by Velvet, and a wince from Coco.

"That's a tough one now…sorry Kouzai, but we're pretty booked on free time for the foreseeable future. Yours truly volunteered her kind and generous team to plan the Beacon Dance coming up, and it's quite the time cruncher." I nodded, shaking the cobwebs off my memories of the events surrounding the second volume in order to be on top of things. "Though, even if we did have the time, I'm not sure if we'd be the most impartial and objective officiants; the rest of my team pretty strongly favors yours over Ruby's, and Fox and Yatsu are smitten with a certain pair of twins, as you know."

"Hmm…if need's be, I could help out with the planning if that frees up some time." It'd be interesting to see what the behind-the-scenes on the dance looked like, and realistically speaking, there weren't that many people I knew that had the time to give and that I was willing to explain the situation to. "If the rest of your team is tilted pretty strongly towards my team, how about just you then? I think you're pretty capable of adjudicating things by yourself."

"Aww, thanks. And it's not that I'm exactly neutral between both two teams…more that I'm partial to one…" Coco scratched her cheek, and I could've sworn I saw a loopy grin appear on her face for a fraction of a second. "Or one member in particular…"

I picked my jaw off the table so that I might form words. "You have a crush on someone in team RWBY? Who? Wait, lemme think…is it Yang?"

"Not quite. She's got the pep for sure, but she's also pining after a certain Faunus that we know. I'm not the kind of gal to chase after someone who's looking at someone else."

"Blake then?"

"You're kind of bad at this, aren't you?" Coco leaned an elbow on the table, grin now a smirk. "I've won out in a few contests of love before, but that girl is a minefield of current and past romantic interests, if what I've heard is anything to go by. Far too messy to wade into. You know, with all the similarities between the two of you, you're technically in the mix too."

"Nope nope, not happening…Weiss?"

"Are you just going down the line now? You're _really_ bad this. Come back when you're doing more than guessing, freshie." Coco held up two hands. "So see my dilemma, even if I had the time to spare. Adorable cinnamon roll and her team on one side, and a broody copycat who I love to watch get smacked on the other, along with his team…makes it tough to be objective, see?"

"Of course, how tragic for you," I drawled as CFVY broke out into laughter. "Guess I'll look elsewhere then. Thanks anyways though."

"You know, you might wanna try Prof Autumn. She's definitely less busy than the full-time professors, and she owes you for helping her get out into Vale a couple times, yeah?"

"Not a bad idea. Thanks Coco, and let me and mine know if you need help for the dance."

"Will do, Kouzai. And good luck, in multiple senses of the word."

… … …

"Yes."

"Umm, professor? I haven't described what exactly-"

"I don't care, just mark me down for a yes." Amber stood up from her office seat and strode over to me, and I had to focus on _not_ flinching at the intensity the Fall Maiden was devoting to something as simple as walking. "I need a distraction to break up the monotony of the day-to-day, or I'll be going nuts."

"It won't be as groundbreaking as you're expecting. I wanted to ask if you'd be willing to officiate a spar between my team and team RWBY later in the week." I watched Amber's shoulders sag a bit, and I felt terrible for getting her hopes up. "Before we get to that though, do you wish to talk about how things have been going at Beacon? I know the first time we talked, you were in need of a stiff drink. I can't exactly offer that at the moment, but I've got experience listening to people drunkenly talk about what's bothering them, so listening to coherent people is an improvement."

Amber regarded me for a moment, before shrugging and heading over to where a couch rested by one of the walls, plopping down on it. "My office isn't exactly huge, so feel free to talk from there or drag the chair over, or stand if that floats your boat."

"Sure." I was careful to carry the chair instead of dragging it, lest the sound drive Amber over the edge into committing homicide by way of natural disaster. "Sooo…I'm guessing that your time at Beacon hasn't exactly been going swimmingly."

"It's not so much what I'm doing at Beacon so much as it is what I'm _not_ doing _anywhere else_. I haven't been off-campus in _weeks_! Not to mention, there was practically no one around during the break."

"And I'm guessing that during your lengthy stay thus far, you've traversed nearly every inch of campus already, or every inch worth traversing at least." Amber nodded vehemently, and I figured that I should cover my bases. "I had initially thought though that your coming to Beacon was a voluntary decision on your part. From what it sounds like though, it seems like your presence on campus isn't very voluntary."

Amber sighed, bringing her regular hand up to brush against her robotic limb. "It's…complicated."

"With all due respect, I was recently kidnapped and involved in what I can only assume to be an international conspiracy involving multiple organizations of criminals. My friends barely batted an eye while dealing with said people. Complicated to a huntsman or huntress pretty much means that you haven't hit the problem hard enough yet." It was a low blow to bring up the exact conspiracy that Amber was involved in, but it'd do the Fall Maiden good if she had _someone_ to talk to about her situation. "Have you tried convincing or persuading others on your situation? I know Ozpin sounded pretty stubborn, but maybe Goodwitch or Qrow would be willing to lend a hand."

"Fat chance of that. Despite her ability to strike primal fear into Ozpin so that he does his work, Glynda implicitly trusts every decision he makes. And for all the blasé nonchalance that Qrow tries to exude, he's still very much glued to Ozpin's side." Amber eyed me critically for a moment, before her gaze softened and she leaned back again. "Can I trust you to keep a secret?"

'Wow, I can't believe that actually worked as well as it did.' I took on a serious posture to give her words the proper consideration. "Like I said, I'm a bartender, which means I'm contractually obligated to listen to others divulge things. Though, that might not be a great example, since there are quite a few scumbags that frequent the club, and some of those sordid and quite illegal tales make their way to the relevant ears at times."

"You need to find a more reputable bar to work at…hah, fine." Amber laced her fingers together and looked down at them. "The gist of my story is that I'm being protected by Ozpin and Beacon from the groups that've been in Vale recently. I did a number on Cinder, though she gave as good as she got. I'm sure both of us want a chance to pay the other back with interest, but Ozpin is of the mind that I need to remain at Beacon, since Cinder and her people wouldn't dare try to get to me while I'm here."

"Outside of Beacon though…" I trailed off, looking like I was connecting the dots in the conversation. "So, when I was abducted by them…"

"They were trying to force my hand, get me to come after them…it nearly worked too, if not for Qrow staying behind to make sure I didn't charge off." Amber bowed to me, and I was taken aback. "I never got to apologize for what happened to you since there would be an explanation needed, but…I am so sorry for what happened to you. I…understand if you're upset about this information."

I watched Amber for a moment, determining that the huntress was torn up over the series of events, before I waved my hands as if to ward off any misunderstandings. "Hey, it's alright, I don't blame you for any of that. There's always a chance that they picked me because I'd interfered in one of Torchwick's robberies before the year started, and you could also say I'm at fault for not being more cognizant and prepared as a huntsman-in-training. In any event, trying to assign blame to anyone but the people who actually committed the crime is circular reasoning at best. But enough about me. My question is what you would like to do about your situation, and I don't mean some surrealist statement like 'I'm gonna find, and I'm gonna kill every last one of them." I'd like to know what is it that you really want to do."

Amber's mouth was slightly open, before she caught herself and smirked. "That's kind of a deep question to be dropping on me." The smirk slid off her face, and Amber tilted her head back, looking up at the ceiling. "I suppose…I'd like to get some ice cream."

"…Huh?"

"Oh, and visit that noodle restaurant I'd go to whenever I was in Vale. And shop for clothes. And visit the aquarium. Buy furniture. Visit pet stores. See a movie."

"…"

Amber's list tapered off, and there was a breath. "I've always loved traveling, and getting to see and experience new things. Being who I was, that life was accessible to a certain degree, but I wanted more. And then I almost died…now, I still wish to explore and experience, but there's a part of me that wants to see the life that I haven't gotten to taste yet…might not get to taste, if those aiming for my life are successful. Maybe it's presumptuous of me to want such, but-"

"It's not." I cut off Amber's line of thought, despite my teeth being clenched and me promising myself that I'd let Amber speak. But the sheer resignation…"It's quite appropriate to want some facet of a normal life. I don't think there's a single huntsman or huntress out there capable of remaining completely separate from society without cracking. So what you want, should be granted to you. And I'll help you get there, I promise."

Amber looked frozen, and I paused to digest the fact that I'd just promised to do what Qrow and Glynda hadn't, against Ozpin of all people. 'Not one of my greatest moments…'

"Heh heh, how bold of you…if nothing else, I am admittedly looking forward to the spar between teams RWBY and KMMI, so I'll gladly officiate." Amber slowly rose off the couch and stretched out. "Thank you for listening. I think I needed to get that off my chest."

"I'm sure you'd do the same for me or any of my friends," I replied easily. Sensing a comfortable lull, I placed the chair back to its original position. "I'll be taking my leave now. Have a good afternoon, Amber."

"You as well, Kouzai."

I found myself outside soon after, taking in the pleasant temperature of springtime.

"Alright, I've completed one task and picked up an infinitely harder one. How on Remnant am I supposed to convince Ozpin of _anything_?...if I can-" I paused as the sound of engines steadily grew louder. Looking up, I watched three massive carriers approach the airfield down the main road, their trademark appearance marking some very important events. I didn't have time to ruminate, however.

"Well, damn! Talk about good timing! I was just about call up the gang that I'd arrived!"

"So confident to assume that I'm here for you." My mouth was running faster than my brain, and I turned to take in a new sight for sore eyes. The black, red and gold tailcoat he'd started wearing in Argus was now a permanent fixture to his outfit. More noticeable to the weather eye though was the fact that his collar wasn't upturned, his jeans weren't rolled up, and his shirt was _buttoned and tucked in_.

"I've heard you guys in Vale have gotten up to all sorts of shit. Time to catch up." Sun Wukong was all pearl-white smiles.

… … …

… … …

Ozpin needed more cocoa, or maybe some coffee for once.

"Ozpin, you cannot tell me that the current state of affairs doesn't have you concerned, or that this is a situation that you were anticipating being in." James Ironwood was slowly walking around his office, holding the peace offering of a warm drink while his small fleet remained parked outside.

"James, I do not wish to have this discussion again, so for the sake of putting our differences in opinion to rest, let us mutually agree that while additional measures might be necessary for the circumstances that we find ourselves in, proper communication in order to efficiently and _discreetly_ enact such measures is also necessary."

"…Very well. In that case, I believe it would be in our best interest to turn the topic of discussion towards another issue of security within Vale at the moment; the Specter." James frowned when Ozpin pinched between his eyes. "I'm serious, Ozpin! You know as well as I do that the kind of output displayed at that White Fang recruitment event is definite cause for concern. Much of the damage to the warehouse is indicative to Adam Taurus's moveset, but the rest…disregarding the sheer power, the forensics nearly prove that the bullet was a metal slug amplified by various sources, _quite_ similar to research being performed in Atlas."

"Your concern is noted, James, but suffice to say, Atlas does not have the monopoly on scientific or military research, nor does it have the ability to prevent others from possessing such weaponry."

"You know that's not the point. I will admit that all signs point to the conclusion that the Specter's appearance at that warehouse was as a hostile to the White Fang and Adam Taurus. That, however, only deepens the mystery. If the Specter is not operating as an agent of Hers, and does not act on _your_ behalf, then who are they working for? And more importantly, _who are they_?"

Ozpin tilted his mug back, back, quite far back until he realized that he was out of cocoa, before bitterly lowering his hand. "I empathize with your desire to solve this mystery, and rest assured that I have resources invested into such. Qrow's work speaks for itself, and I am content to instead focus my attention towards stopping Cinder Fall and her associates in their tracks."

"Far be it for me to stop you from being proactive, but I would like to provide aid of my own in those avenues as well." Ironwood gestured to the elevator door as the notification of an incoming guest appeared. Ozpin accepted, and the elevator door opened to reveal a girl with orange hair, bright green eyes and freckles, dressed in a theme of black, green and white. "This is Penny Polendina, Pietro's daughter. She'll be participating in the Vytal Festival, but given her considerable combat ability and acumen, I believe that she will be of great assistance in locating and identifying the Specter."

"Salutations, Headmaster Ozpin! My name is Penny, and I'm combat ready!" The girl did a perfect bow, before straightening and eyeing Ozpin.

Ozpin slowly reached for the pot of coffee, poured until his mug was full, and drank deeply. After nearly a minute of this, he set the mug down.

"We will…discuss Ms. Polendina's involvement in the matter at a different time. At the current moment, it is nearly time for my appointment with Glynda." There was no such appointment, but he would assuredly take paperwork over the headache that threatened to ensue if his old friend went any further. "Is there anything else you would like to discuss, James?"

Before his eyes, General and Headmaster James Ironwood performed an action that Ozpin had only witnessed him perform a handful of times; he _shuffled his feet and rubbed the back of his neck_.

"There is one more matter that I would like to bring to your attention, though perhaps 'like' is too strong a word." James paused, as if considering how best to phrase his next statement. Another surprise. "The prisoner that you currently have detained, Mercury Black…Penny would like to…talk with him…again."

"…"

"I am told that Friend Mercury is currently on the grounds of Beacon Academy! Given the number of days that has passed since I last conversed with him, I would be most appreciative of the opportunity to talk with him!"

"…"

"…"

**A/N: So, that happened. This is one of those plot points that I put in to just accentuate how extensive changes to the canon timeline can be. If anyone's wondering how in the nine hells this meeting occurred, it's the ending passage for one of the chapters for Volume 1. Other than that, hopefully the absence of combat didn't upset those who were craving bloodshed. Rest assured that there'll be plenty of that coming up. Now for reviews.**

**Netapel: Although Kouzai is far from what one would consider an unreliable narrator, his unique priorities and abysmal romantic skills keep him from picking up on what others might notice. When you're dealing with females in the world of RWBY though, escalation and bold actions are the default strategy, so there'll be a reckoning at some point.**

**Gizmo Gear: Yup, now that characters and relationships have mostly been established, it's time to get into the meat of the plot and whatnot.**

**Blueassassin996: As Qrow can easily attest to, thinking that you've dodged a bullet only means that you're not paying attention to the other thousand. Having his identity as the Specter under wraps is a pretty large bullet though, admittedly. And of course, being able to speak with team RWBY without too much chance of being socked into next week is always nice…until you challenge said team to a spar to stop them from fighting a giant death robot, and then all bets are off.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 07/07/20**


	43. Chapter 40: Measure a Thousand Times

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Happy Tuesday everyone! I sincerely hope all are staying safe out there given the devastating circumstances surrounding our communities. Hopefully reading these chapters serve as an enjoyable respite for the readership like it does for me while writing them.**

Chapter 40: Measure a Thousand Times

Chapter Date: 07/07/20

"WOOHOO!"

This was it. This was how I died.

"PANCAKES!"

I had tried to stave off the end of Remnant as long as I could, but some things were inevitable. Or some people rather.

After all, there was no way the combination of Sun Wukong, Nora Valkyrie, Coco Adel and Yang Xiao Long on alcohol _wouldn't_ result in some Remnant-shaking event.

"So your blond friend is lively. I can't imagine a guy like him and you ever hitting it off with one another." Junior watched as Sun and Nora continued their drink-off, with Coco officiating for now. "Though I suppose I should be thankful that him and that crazy ginger-haired girl haven't levelled my club yet."

"The momentum of the Nora Engine can traverse all manner of barriers and differences," I replied sagely, sipping at my drinking while eyeing Junior. "Also, I know for a fact that you remember most, if not all of their names. There's no way the twins haven't talked about JNPR and CFVY to you about a hundred times."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. And hypothetically, even if I did happen to remember their names, all it'd take is one iota of kindness to that lot and they'll stomping about like they own the place." Junior's eyes took on a glazed quality, no doubt remembering years of antics by Miltia and Melanie. "Anyways, shouldn't some of you be getting back to Beacon sometime soon? There's a match to be had between you and Blondie's team, right?"

"We'll be heading back shortly, but I wanted to properly welcome Sun, my friend, to Vale. After all, who knows if my team and I will be in any shape to get to it tomorrow."

"You really think you guys have what it takes to bring those four down? Not for nothing, but they've got a Schnee, Blondie, Blondie's hotshot sister, and a former White Fang operative. You all have experience under your belt, but is that enough to bridge the gap?" Junior fixed me with a look. "Not to mention, what's really the harm of letting them go off on their wild goose chase? The more intel we've got on Cinder, Roman and Adam, the better off everyone is."

"Intel is only worth it if it makes its way back to the necessary ears. I don't doubt their abilities, but you and I both know Cinder's crew is on another level. If even two of her inner circle face off against them team RWBY will be in trouble, to say nothing of the White Fang grunts with potential access to military weaponry." I finished my drink and looked down at the bottom of the glass. "Besides, you can just think of me and mine like gatekeepers of a certain standard. If team RWBY manages to beat us, that'll mean they've got a pretty good chance of taking on what's likely coming at the next rally. Though even if they do end up beating us, I'll end up tailing them anyways. Gods knows Tai and Qrow would be on my case if I didn't."

"Ahh, girls and their overprotective fathers and uncles. The age-old staple. Having you around though kinda sours the picture though." Junior chuckled as I waved off the jab and stood up, a tray of readied drinks in my hands.

"Let me know if anything new leads come in from Roman or otherwise. As for the results, you'll probably hear about them within the minute if we win. The twins are quite ungraceful in victory." I made my way over to the table and placed the tray down, providing life support to the contest still going on between Nora and Sun. "So, what've you been talking about?"

"Oh, just some of the –hic- stuff I've been up to in Argus, and what the Mistral gang has been up to here in Vale. How about you though? You've been here a year longer than the rest of them."

"Just the usual for Kouzai." Nora answered as she and Sun lined up their glasses again.

"So making friends with random people, stumbling across deadly occurrences and getting the tar beat out of him?"

"YYYup. Now, drinky drinky time!"

"Thanks for the backup, my dear and wonderful teammates and friends." I deadpanned as the assembled group openly laughed. "Anyways, I figure my team should also be getting back to Beacon sometime soon. If we wait for Nora and Sun to finish their contest, it won't be today anymore."

"How dedicated of you to believe that you'll best us come tomorrow." Weiss replied primly, sipping her glass of wine. "I suppose sportsmanship dictates that we do the same, as it would be more shameful if they lost to us after we had a night out."

"Alright, Miss Prissy!" Melanie stood up from her seat down the table, her lip curled in a snarl. "If you're so confident, you can place you money where your mouth is."

"Oh, we're betting on the fight? Count me in! It's like I never left Anima!" Sun cheered, pausing in between drinks as the unspoken line into chaos was broached.

"Hmph, very well. I'm quite comfortable backing up my combat ability with lien, so why don't we place-" Weiss was cut off as Ruby threw an arm out, and all eyes at the table turned towards the reaper. Despite not having had a drop of alcohol the entire night, Ruby was strangely unbothered by the influx of stares her way, instead focusing on me.

"The bet is for favors! The winning team gets one favor from each member of the losing team!" Ruby declared, throwing the table into another round of silence for a moment. I caught the gleam in Ruby's eye, and remembered her previous objective of getting me to owe her so that she could be introduced to Weylin.

"I suppose there is precedent for using favors amongst our group. It would be quite interesting to ponder what favors we could ask of team KMMI." Weiss mused, swirling the wine in her glass idly. "Very well, I am in agreement with this plan."

"Same. I already know what I'll be asking of you." Melanie's eyes glimmered with mischief as she replied to Weiss.

"Sounds alright to me."

"I have no qualms on this measure."

"Oh, this'll be fun."

"It'll definitely be _something_…"

With seven of the eight people involved onboard, I carefully considered my choices. On the one hand- "Done." It occurred to me that I'd perhaps had more to drink than I anticipated, if my reply was anything to go by.

"Deal me in on this bet too. It's not lien, but I'm sure I can get creative with a favor." Sun's tail bounced around mirthfully, and suddenly even JNPR, Coco and Velvet were looking thoughtful.

"How would that even work though? It's not like having each spectator get four favors would be fair, unless the winning team got four favors from them if they bet wrong." Jaune ruffled his hair in thought, before Velvet piped up.

"Why don't we make it so that if you place a bet on one team and that team wins, you can collect a favor from one member of that team. Conversely, if the opposing team wins, one member of that team can claim a favor from you." Velvet smiled, though I swear if I looked hard enough I saw the gleam of cities on fire in her eyes.

Ahh, competitive spirit…

"Works for me." Sun shrugged and pointed to me. "My bet's on this guy and his team."

"No surprises there," Blake muttered, before appraising Sun. "Hmm, I think I know just what to ask of you if we win."

"Ten points says it has to do with the White Fang," Ilia whispered low to me, causing me to nearly snort. "Also, we should probably keep the bet limited to the people here, otherwise we'll have all of Beacon cashing in after tomorrow."

"It's fine if Yatsu and Fox get in on this too, yeah? I kind of already messaged them." Coco grinned and held up her scroll cheekily.

"Ok, the teams of those present are allowed to participate in the bet, so RWBY, KMMI, JNPR, CFVY and SSSN. Anyone have any problems?" A series of head shakes was my reply. "Great. Ren, you're the official scorekeeper, and if you make another secret betting pool behind my back, there will be hell to pay."

"I am shaking in my shoes." Ren barely blinked an eye as he brought up his scroll. "I will now be taking everyone's registered bets."

In the end, things were more even than I'd expected. RWBY and KMMI aside, the bets were placed with Sun, Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, Ren, Fox, Velvet and Yatsu betting for KMMI. On the other hand, Coco, Neptune, Sage and Scarlet had bet on team RWBY.

"'Bro Code' my tail. Everyone knows Neptune's betting on RWBY 'cause he thinks one of you is hot, and the other two aren't taking my word for it that you're a badass." Sun complained. Close by, Velvet was pouting at a grinning and shrugging Coco. "Fine. I'll get to see their faces come tomorrow."

"And on that note, time for us to head out." I gathered up my team before the twins could process the implications of Sun's comment. "We'll be seeing everyone tomorrow then."

As we exited the club and started making our way back to the bullhead docks, Ilia shook her head. "This turned out to be a much bigger deal than I was anticipating."

"With this guy, everything ends up turning into a spectacle." Melanie jabbed a finger in my direction.

"Pardon me? I've made it a point to try to keep my actions and events quiet for-"

"Name one time you went on an errand and didn't drag in someone important or get into some sort of fight."

"…Point taken."

"You really think we can beat team RWBY? Even though Melanie and I aren't even in the top ten?" Miltia shuffled along. Melanie also looked a little put down, and Ilia and I exchanged a look.

"I won't lie and say that we're going to definitively come out on top tomorrow. But I do think that we've got a pretty good shot of it." I glanced up at Remnant's broken moon. "After all, we've got a few advantages over them that I'm sure they haven't been able to cover just yet."

Now even Ilia was curious. "And those are?"

"One, we've got more experience with one another than they do. The only two on their team that interacted before Beacon are Ruby and Yang, and due to Ruby's rather sudden entrance into Beacon, something tells me they weren't exactly practicing tons of combo attacks growing up, unlike our twins here. We've all go plenty of experience fighting with and against one another, which makes our teamwork better than theirs. Second, is that they're underestimating us. Again, some of it is rightly so, considering that those four are rather accomplished individuals and have respectable places in the rankings. But those rankings are just that, and only reflect individual battles in a sterile environment. A team fight is plenty more dynamic than that, and yet given their reactions tonight, they seem rather assured that they'll be walking over us come tomorrow. I'd rather that not happen." As we neared the airfield, I saw that a bullhead was arriving just in time for the small crowd on the ground to board.

"And the third thing?"

As the doors lowered, I turned to face my teammates, cracked my neck, and smiled with many teeth. "They haven't seen just how much trouble I can cause them in a fight."

… … …

"Hey Amber? Not to doubt you or anything, but you didn't happen to tell any of the staff that this spar was happening, did you?"

"Not at all. If they or anyone else found out about today, it wasn't because I told them."

"Good good, thanks for that. Welp, I suppose this only makes things more exciting." The Fall Maiden and I glanced up into the spectator section, where my friends were sat, only with a large portion of the first-year students, including team CRDL. Who they were rooting for, I had no idea, but that wasn't exactly important. It was the last-minute additions that had my eye twitching.

Vernal, Tai and Qrow. No surprise on who informed them that this was happening.

Ozpin, Glynda and Ironwood. Mildly surprising, but Ozpin and his inner circle did need to keep tabs on Amber after all, not to mention team RWBY.

_Penny Polendina_. I shouldn't have been surprised, given that she was already in Vale during Volume 1, but this was the first time I'd laid eyes on her in person. She was just as lively and just as inhuman as the show portrayed. I then looked back towards the rest of the students. And of course…

Green eyes blinked and became pink and brown for a moment. I glared at _Neo_, who cheerfully waved before making a shushing motion and smirking.

"Huh, I didn't exactly peg you for a smooth operator, but you clearly have a way with the girls." Amber commented from beside me, notifying me that the silent conversation hadn't exactly gone unnoticed. However, that was all the time I had to think about that particular matter as the rest of my team exited from the locker room, followed by team RWBY. Predictably, the other seven were also temporarily taken aback by the audience that had gathered.

"Thank you to everyone for coming and making my job harder. And especially to Glynda Goodwitch for being in attendance, meaning this is practically like combat class already." Amber started, getting a few laughs as Goodwitch rolled her eyes. "As I'm sure most, if not all of you present already know, today's spar is between teams RWBY and KMMI. The style for this spar follows normal tournament regulations, and will conclude should neither team be defeated within 15 minutes, upon which the results will be determined based on fighters remaining and Aura level. Now, fighters, are you ready?"

"You know, I think I'm gonna enjoy having so many favors to collect on." Ember Celica cocked into place as Yang winked at our team. Miltia and Melanie stepped forward slightly, but I spoke first.

"Just remember what I said before."

"I'll take that as a yes then." Amber deadpanned before backing off to the side. "The match will begin in 3…"

"I already said we don't need to be protected," Yang flaunted back. 

"2…"

"I wasn't talking to you." My eyes closed, I registered Auras at work before channeling Chronometry to view the world.

"1…"

'Here we go…'

"Begin!"

Waiting for the word, Miltia and Melanie fired off shots of Fire and Ice Dust. Team RWBY guarded as both projectiles flew forward, before Ruby realized a split second too late on their trajectory.

"Everyone back up!" Her shout was punctuated with a bang as fire and ice collided, covering the arena in a cloud of fog.

"You all know what to do!" Ilia nodded and sped off, while I closed my eyes for a second and got everyone's bearings. "Miltia, to the right. Melanie, to the left."

As my teammates raced into the fog, I located the red Aura I was looking for, before dashing into the fog myself with eyes closed. I could hear the gasp coming from Blake right before Ilia was on her with Lightning Lash, and the clash of blades began ringing out. A retort from a gun came in front of me as Ruby shot Crescent Rose to propel herself out of the fog, landing with precious few feet of the arena behind her. Not a second later, I loomed out of the fog and fired a shot off Mirror's Edge, the bullet forcing my fellow team leader into action as she dodged to the side. Silver eyes narrowed at the fog behind me as the clashes of various battles filtered through.

"Sorry Ruby, but you're not the only one whose teammates have a 'fire and ice' theme going on." I took a heavy step forward, hefting my greatsword. I kept my eye on Ruby with every shift of weight, as if trying to anticipate which way she'd run.

"Well, I hope you've got an apology planned for whoever's fighting Yang right now." Ruby shot back, before aiming Crescent Rose and firing a rifle shot at me. I ducked behind my blade, but the opening was enough for Ruby to start dashing around, unleashing shots from Crescent Rose at all angles. I twisted and turned, splitting Mirror's Edge to block the shots while trying to keep Ruby in sight. It wasn't long before the fog began to curl and drift towards the mini-tornado that was the reaper. Tracking her path, I counted, once, twice and…there!

Tossing one of my longswords forward, Ruby slowed to pivot away from the blade and towards me. As she did, I watched her silver eyes widen as mine rocketed towards her, my rush aided by Burst and Mirror's Edge. Ruby reflexively slashed out to force me out, but with Chronometry on max I could see the scythe approach. Jamming my other longsword into Crescent Rose's path, I grabbed onto the snath and kicked out with both feet, catching Ruby in the torso and launching her back. Turning around, I tossed Crescent Rose out of the ring before dashing towards Ruby. Reuniting Mirror's Edge along the way, I slung the sword on my back as I neared Ruby, who to her credit had a guard up. However…

"Sorry Ruby, but your reliance on Crescent Rose is your biggest and most obvious weakness." Angled kicks and hooks drove Ruby back as the reaper was forced to give ground due to her lacking hand-to-hand combat. "I don't think a criminal would hesitate to take advantage of that, or make sure to take you out of the fight because of it."

"Rrrrrggh!" Ruby punched out, and I weaved sideways and kicked low, upsetting her balance before grabbing my fellow team leader. Focusing, I twisted around and used Burst to throw her the last few yards out of the ring, as she landed beside Crescent Rose. Ruby punched the ground and glared at me. "No fair!"

"Maybe not, but it is what it is." I hardened myself and turned, taking in the arena as the fog cleared and a buzzer for Ruby sounded. "Melanie! Switch!"

"About damn time!" Melanie shouted through gritted teeth, backflipping to escape one of Yang's punches before dashing off as I took her place.

"Huh?" Yang pieced together the sight of Ruby outside the ring, and Burn activated. "You son of a bitch! I'll _pulverize_ you!"

"I figured…" I groaned, splitting Mirror's Edge as the brawler charged in. 'Hurry it up, girls…I believe in you…'

… … …

Icicles lanced past Miltia as she rolled and weaved through Weiss' glyphs, before she straightened and slashed out with her claws, sending a wave of Fire Dust colliding into more ice. As a momentary fog was created, Miltia readied her claws and dashed through, finding Weiss was doing the same with her acceleration glyphs. Miltia rolled to the side and spun to catch the rapier thrusted towards her body.

"I was under the impression your hot-headed sister was the one who specialized in Fire Dust." Weiss Schnee pushed against the deadlock created by their weapons, and Miltia took silent stock and exhaled.

"An inclination for a type of Dust doesn't mean not using others, as you already know." Miltia swung with her other claw activated the Dust as Weiss went to parry, sending Lightning Dust to electrify Myrtenaster as Weiss jolted back, shaking out her arm. Miltia smirked. "After all, despite being quite hot-headed yourself, you enjoy using Ice Dust, as per the Schnee name."

"I'm more than just a name." Weiss propelled herself forward with more glyphs, and Miltia spun into action and sliced out with her claws, alternating Fire and Lightning Dust to capitalize on Weiss' Dust usage and guarding with Myrtenaster. As she did, she remembered what Kouzai had explained yesterday.

'_Weiss is versatile, extremely so. But with options comes the inability to adapt when those options are taken away. Use Fire Dust to negate her Fire and Ice Dust. Use Lightning Dust to punish her using Myrtenaster. Above all, using two weapons will put her on the back foot._'

Miltia furiously slashed and cleaved, but where Weiss was lacking in an offensive response to someone with two weapons, she made up for it in defense and stopped big hits from connecting. Miltia wouldn't be able to knock Weiss out before she tired herself out.

"HAAH!" With a stab, Miltia was forced back as Weiss held Myrtenaster up, the revolving chamber clicking to yellow. "You're an impressive combatant, more than your ranking reveals, but I'm ending this now."

Time Dilation. With her weaving and rolling alone, her two claws wouldn't be enough to safeguard her from Weiss' assault.

'_You misunderstand. By two weapons, I wasn't referring to your claws._'

The buzzer sounded, and Weiss stopped to look at who was out, her eyes widening at her partner's removal, and then more at Kouzai's statement.

"Melanie! Switch!" Taking her sister's place, Kouzai went to war against a raging Yang, while Melanie dashed towards Weiss and Miltia.

"What?! Tch!" Weiss focused and Miltia saw the clockwork glyph appear, but she steeled herself as her and Melanie closed in on two fronts. Glowing yellow, Weiss rocketed back and forth on acceleration glyphs, but Miltia and Melanie had practiced together, fought together enough to react instinctively off cues from one another. Guarding and deflecting, rolling and weaving, the two twins spun about in a web of cold steel woven by Myrtenaster and enclosed in glyphs.

"She's flagging! Take her!" Melanie caught what Miltia hadn't, and the two rushed into a slowing Weiss' range. With Miltia's own claws and Melanie's boots, the barrage of slashes and stabs began pushing past, and then overwhelming Weiss' defense and reflexes. All attempts at using Dust were cut off by negating bursts from the twins.

'_The two of you fighting together, trained as you are, is a lethal combination. I would know. Without her Dust, without the room to use her Semblance, Weiss will be forced to her swordplay. While formidable, she can't hold up against both of you at once._'

Eyes focusing in, Miltia lunged forward and stabbed her claws upward as Weiss went in for a stab, Myrtenaster becoming caught between two claws. Slamming her arm to the side, Miltia wrenched Myrtenaster out of Weiss' hands as she and her sister closed in. Without the ability to use her Dust, Semblance or fencing, Weiss' defense fell within a few slashes as the buzzer sounded.

"Miltia, let's move!" Melanie didn't stop to watch Weiss sink to the ground, and after making sure the heiress was alright, Miltia dashed with her towards the next bout.

… … …

"Just like old times, huh Blake?"

Lightning Lash sparked against Gambol Shroud as both Faunus jumped about. With the katana in a deadlock, Blake slashed out with her cleaver sheathe, forcing Ilia to back up.

"With some scenery changes, it'd be like we were practicing against one another for training again." Ilia used the whip function of Lightning Lash to keep Blake moving. A familiar strategy.

'_Ilia, whether or not you can win against Blake isn't what's important. Blake will have the perception that she _can_ beat you, and that her teammates will win their individual matchups, so that all she'll have to do is keep you from offsetting the other matches. In reality though, you're trapping her. Once the tide has turned, it'll be too late to halt._'

The buzzer sounded as Blake glanced up at the board, surprise overtaking her stoic expression before a scowl replaced it at the sound of Kouzai's command. Catching sight of Melanie joining Miltia against Weiss, Blake separated from the deadlock and began running towards her teammate.

"What's wrong, Blake? Are you running from the fight once again?" Blake stopped in her tracks, and Lightning Lash closed in on her back. With a slight ringing, a clone took her place as Blake flipped into the air, then gasped as Lasher's Grip took hold and pulled her towards the ground. A second use of Shadow let her break her fall and roll upright, glaring at Ilia.

'_Blake will run towards the fight for her friends, but believes that she runs away from what's important. Reminding her of that will slow her, stop her even, before she centers herself and presses on, but that'll be enough time to capitalize._'

"Such an ebb and flow. It's no wonder you were so mad at me back at initiation." The words tasted bitter in Ilia's mouth, as if dredged up from some part of her that she hadn't acknowledged. She knew exactly who she sounded like, and it felt terrible bringing it up. But this was a wound between the two that needed to be healed, a talk that needed to be had. "Were you deflecting all the anger you had at yourself, for misjudging when you should've stayed and when you should've run?"

Blake was motionless, her expression hidden from behind. Clenching both parts of Gambol Shroud, she turned slightly to look upon Ilia with eyes burning. "…I thought you'd understand what I'm trying to do."

"I do, and I support it. It just can't happen like this, especially with all that's happened." From her position, Ilia caught sight of Weiss falling and reluctantly wrenched her gaze away to face Blake. The buzzer sounded and Ilia saw the shock cross her face before she whirled around, correctly anticipating that the twins would be coming for her. Gambol Shroud came up to block the twins' onslaught, before Blake caught sight of their triumphant grins.

Lightning Lash slammed into Blake's back, discharging enough electricity to drop her Aura into knockout range. Forced to her knees, Blake looked up at Ilia.

'_Blake is at her most vulnerable, her most distracted, when talking to a friend. Even more when it's an enemy that was a friend, or vice-versa. Something like that is fatal._'

"I'm sorry Blake. But you froze up when seeing Adam, and you stopped here. You won't last if you try what you're planning and something goes wrong." Ilia turned away to where the twins were rushing off towards the last fight. "I am sorry."

… … …

"RRRAAAH! Why! Won't! You! Go! DOWN!"

Ember Celica slammed into Mirror's Edge, and Melanie watched as Kouzai was pushed back despite his guard. Unable to regain his footing, Mirror's Edge fired to recoil into a strike, the blade glancing off Yang's other gauntlet. Spinning around, Kouzai caught sight of the rest of them approaching and smiled despite the idiot's fatigue.

The opposite expression was on Yang's face, who pushed past her rage to survey the arena and Weiss and Blake's downed forms. Said rage became incandescent as Burn was activated to its full potential, the heat and Aura literally pushing Kouzai back to where the rest of them had regrouped.

"Whew, talk about good timing. Even with all Mirror's Edge, I wasn't sure my arms would hold up much longer." Melanie shook her head in disbelief. She'd had a number of Yang's strikes sent her way, and she knew each of them came with a bullhead of force. Knowing that Kouzai had last nearly three times as long as her…

"Here she comes. Get ready." All four of them pulled out their weapons, aiming for the right moment.

"RRRAAAH!" A barrage of Fire Dust exploded out of Ember Celica, hurtling towards team KMMI as Yang continued firing until her gauntlets were empty. Taking aim, all four of them fired bursts of Ice Dust into the volley, the ensuing collision absolutely blanketing the arena in thick fog. Nothing was visible. Nothing except a flaring pillar of yellow.

'_To be honest, Yang alone could sink this entire plan. Tired as we are, as relentless as she is, she might be able to beat all four of us in a straight fight._'

"Let's move."

'_But we won't make it a straight fight_.'

Melanie ran in, using the glow of yellow Aura to light her way as team KMMI closed in, slashing out with their weapons and dragging Yang's attention to them before backing out. In and out, in and out. Like clockwork.

'_We're operatives and infiltrators, spies and assassins._'

The shimmer of Aura being lost was near-constant, but so was the scream of rage coming from the monster in their midst.

'_We are not team RWBY, so we won't fight like team RWBY._'

They were nearly past Yang's Aura, but the very heat off Yang's Burn was beginning to clear the fog around her.

'_They can fight in the light. We will hunt in the dark._'

Faced with certain defeat, Yang's desperation reared it's head, as the brawler pulled out her spare ammo and reloaded, before aiming her gauntlets at each other.

"Oh Grimmshit!" Kouzai's curse came as Yang closed her eyes and slammed her gauntlets together, the simultaneous discharge sending out a wave of heat and light that flashed into KMMI's pupils. Her eyes forced shut, Melanie grounded herself and…wait.

She heard the shout of triumph from Yang. She heard the cocking of Ember Celica and the stomp of Yang's rush. She couldn't see Yang rush at her, but she could _see_ Yang rush at her, outlined in glowing yellow.

With the brawler nearly upon her, Melanie waited, waited, waited until Yang sent a chopping right fist down towards her. Rising up, Melanie pivoted along the side of Yang's arm, before driving a knee into a startled Yang. Continuing on, eyes still shut, Melanie rolled and turned, before driving her bladed heel across Yang's back. Watching the shimmering yellow in her sight bunch up and then disperse at the impact, the glow finally, _finally_ broke as the last buzzer sounded.

Silence resounded for a minute, as Melanie eventually opened her sensitive eyes to view her teammates doing the same. Looking around, she caught sight of the peanut gallery in the stands looking dumbfounded, before focusing on Professor Autumn.

The officiant cleared her throat, paused, and then smiled. "And that's the match."

**A/N: And that's a wrap on one of my favorite fights in this story to date. Thankfully, with the addition of formal rules and the lack of JNPR and CFVY joining in, Beacon is still in one piece for now. The non-physical aspects of things will definitely be seeing some changes, least of which is the fact that team RWBY won't be feeling so invincible in the near future. Now for reviews.**

**Raidentensho: There were certainly third-person POV this chapter, along with the proper introduction for Sun, among others. Keeping track of their birthdays should also be something to note at some point, so I'll have to dig them up.**

**AlexFalTon: Believe me when I say that I'm gonna have fun with this particular ripple of a change. And although Penny has the equivalent of a supercomputer for a brain, let it be known that the internet does not account for common sense, rather just the opposite. As for any potential shipping between Kouzai and Amber, any potential obstacles or hang-ups will be addressed if things get to that point.**

**Blackredray21: Happy early birthday to you! Glad I could contribute to you having a good lead-up to your birthday, and hope you enjoyed this week's chapter.**

**Gizmo Gear: I figured the readership would be deriving some enjoyment out of the potential interactions that might take place, along with the imagination of what might've already taken place.**

**Kuriboh1233: Beware of headpats to the adorable Velvet, for it you should begin, you might be tempted to never stop. **

**Fuyuki365: Well, I'm no ScrewAttack, but in my personal opinion and understanding of Soul Eater and Tokyo Ghoul, both matchups would result in solid losses for the characters of Remnant. Medusa is consistently portrayed as one of the smartest characters in the entire world, and has a truckload of refined power that Cinder can't hold up against. Only Volume 7 Cinder would be able to provide enough raw power to match Medusa's cutting edge, and Cinder's vulnerable Grimm arm leaves a particular weakness that Medusa doesn't have thanks to her snake form. As for Eto and Tyrian, suffice to say that it'll be a curbstomp for the scorpion Faunus. Without Tyrian's Semblance being able to provide an edge in battle, when comparing sheer physical attributes there is no contest.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 07/14/20**


	44. Chapter 41: Built in A Day

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Happy Tuesday to all, and hope people are safely enjoying the decent weather after the near-full week of storms hitting the coast. On the bright side, there's a fresh grouping of them coming again this weekend. I'm aware that it's a bit of a late update, but I've been out of the house most of the day on account of maintenance issues which hopefully won't be a recurring issue.**

Chapter 41: Built in A Day

Chapter Date: 07/14/20

The practice arena was in a hushed uproar.

To be fair, the response was entirely expected and warranted, considering that they'd just managed to take down one of the top first-year teams _without_ being entirely ranked within the top ten like JNPR. Still though, the surprised whispers coming from many of the underclassmen and some of the upperclassmen were a tad grating to listen to. And thanks to my time spent going without eyesight, I could hear most of what was being discussed amongst the student.

With their Faunus senses, I bet Ilia and Blake could hear nearly all of it.

Speaking of which, my partner was, like me, now getting to her feet trying to blink away the spots in our vision from Yang's impromptu flashbang. I had a feeling it was far more headache-inducing for Ilia than it was for me though.

"Everyone alright?" I called out, getting three weary thumbs up in response. I focused my attention on Melanie, having caught the very end of the spar where she'd slipped past Yang to deal the final blow without her eyes being open. 'To think that some of the lessons would start sinking in now…guess she _is_ the type to learn under pressure. Having Ilia and Miltia gain the skill as well would be ideal, but for now having Melanie brush up on it will help. Now how-'

A soft impact on my shoulder interrupted my train of thought, and a sideways glance showed my fellow silver-eyed leader giving me one hell of a pout at the moment.

"Kooooouuuuzaiiiii…" Ruby looked like I'd just announced that cookies had gone extinct. I hardened my face to desperately avoid breaking out in a smile that would get me summarily beaten from the cuteness.

"I'm sorry Ruby, but that's the reality of things. Your is definitely fast, and strong, and versatile, but you all have your weaknesses, ones that people far less scrupulous than me will ruthlessly capitalize on. If beating you now helps you all become better huntresses later, than I'll do it as many times as it takes." After all, the more prepared everyone was else was in the event of an emergency or something similar, the better off the general odds would be, something sorely needed.

Ruby uncharacteristically grunted and crossed her arms, before her gaze slowly trailed back up to me. "…You still didn't have to be so mean about it though."

At this, I couldn't stop a few chuckles from coming out, and Ruby's adorable glare sharpened as I caught my breath. "Well, before administering judgement on me, would you like to come with me to check on your teammates? I feel as though some apologies may be in order, and in my unbiased opinion, my chances of getting whomped by Yang drastically decrease if you're around."

"Fine. Don't think you're off the hook just yet though."

"As someone on the losing side of the bet, those are quite ironic words."

A quick walk over to Weiss confirmed that the fencer was still conscious and cognizant, though looking extremely disgruntled. I looked down at one scarred, pale blue eye as Weiss was pulled by Ruby to her feet.

"The whole strategy was put together by you, was it not?" I nodded. "Hmph. To so thoroughly dismantle my fighting style with such tactics like smokescreens, Dust combinations and superior partnership? To say that I feel shamed for having my skills and temperament be so dissected would be an understatement…but I can also attest that if my sister would present, she would likely have taken notes on how smoothly your plan was executed."

"Oh, don't worry about that, Weissy." Our heads turned to see that Qrow and Tai were making their way towards the arena, with Goodwitch already going to work on making any repairs. In particular, Qrow was gleefully holding up his scroll, the screen clearly showing a video file on it. "Big sis already has video from the match on her hands. If she's got any comments, you'll be sure to hear about them."

"How utterly tactless of you. Did you not have anything better to do than observe a schooltime spar on behalf of my sister?" Weiss now levelled Qrow with quite the frosty glare, but Qrow just laughed in response.

"Sorry, it's just that your glare is _so_ much less intimidating than Winter's, in a good way of course. As a matter of fact though, I wasn't here on Winter's request, more just to watch and record everything go down. Regardless of who got smacked, I figured I'd have some good material either way." Qrow's flippant look turned over to me. "No offense, Kouzai."

"At this point, I think it'd be weirder if there weren't multitudes of people that wanted to see my ass get handed to me, so you're in the clear." I shook my head as Qrow continued snorting, before turning back to Weiss. "So I take it that a trip to the infirmary won't be needed then?"

"It's almost insulting how you believe I would be in need of medical attention with this much Aura remaining," Weiss replied snippily. "Furthermore, I would suggest that you continue at your currently rate of improvement. The next time that I face you or yours, rest assured that it will not be so simple a matter to take advantage of my…weaknesses."

"Ah yes, improvement out of spite against me. You can join the growing extensive list of people in that club." I grinned despite the not-so-hidden disapproval. Looking around, I caught sight of Ilia approaching, while Blake was already quietly disappearing into the locker rooms. A look between my partner and I helped confirm that yes, Blake was physically alright, and yes, she was more than a little unhappy at having her fixation on the White Fang essentially exploited. Until that bridge came up though… "Come to check up on our resident princess?"

"How original of you," Weiss near-snarled, before turning to Ilia. "Well? If you're here to confirm the veracity of the wager's terms, have no doubt that a Schnee will-"

"I'm just making sure that everyone is alright," Ilia blurted out, causing Weiss' prickly response to trail off. Ilia offered a nod and a small smile towards the heiress. "I was watching some of the other fights while Blake and I were keeping each other at bay. You did well holding Miltia and Melanie off as long as you did, considering their experience together. For a moment I was worried you'd fight your way over to where either Yang or Blake were and screw up the plan."

"Yes, well, despite my showing the results confirm that I require further training to deal with such…unexpected situations." Weiss coughed, then offered a smile back. "Still, it would be remiss of me not to comment on your ability of dueling with Blake on equal footing, even for a short period of time."

Both girls fell silent for a moment, before Ilia's gaze trailed over to me in what I interpreted as a plea to bail her out. I shrugged, then turned towards the last member of team RWBY, still seated on the ground. "Welp, time to face the potentially loud and physically painful music. Would all those present like to proceed in a wall-like fashion over to where the powerhouse is?"

Despite my jest, I still step out in front and approach Yang beside Ruby as the reaper reaches down to lend a hand to her sister. "So Yang, any hard feelings? I wouldn't be hurt if you said yes."

A superhuman physique of muscle rises up to almost exactly my height, and I still hold my breath in anticipation of the mother of all haymakers. Mercifully however, the eyes that open are lilac and not red.

"I'd say it was pretty dirty of you to have your whole team come after me like that, but I suppose it's your way of giving me the proper amount of respect." I made a so-so gesture with my hand. "I am curious though. Save for taking away my vision and making it so that I didn't have anyone to punch, were there any weaknesses I have that you could take advantage of?"

I smirked. "But Yang, if I spill the secret now, how am I supposed to beat you the next time that we fight?"

Yang was silent for a moment, and I thought I messed up, before the brawler threw her head back and roared in laughter, hands clutching her midriff. "Phew…you know, if it wasn't for how shady you can be, I'd almost be sorry that I stayed mad at you for so long."

"I'll take the compliment part of that for what it is," I replied dryly. Glancing over towards the locker rooms, I made a split second decision. "Also, would you girls mind checking up on your stealthier teammate? I think she might have taken the entirety of the match a little worse than some of you."

"Yeah, that'll be a conversation and a half…" Yang ran a hand through golden locks. "I'll handle it. To be clear though, we're not exactly done talking on that particular point."

"I'd be shocked if you were. Now, the faster we clear outta here the sooner Goodwitch can finish fixing the arena. I swear I can feel her eyes in this general direction." Heeding my words, team RWBY made for the locker rooms, leaving me with my teammates, Tai and Qrow.

"So the kids seem to have made their peace with things. How about the dad and uncle now?" I looked over at Qrow and Tai, both of whom looked at each other.

"Not sure why you'd think I have an issue with a fight between brats. Like I said, I had my scroll at the ready so that no matter who got creamed I'd get a laugh out of it." Qrow mused, before his eyes narrowed. "Though, the tactics you pulled off just now were spot-on, eerily so. You that good at reading people?"

"Not quite. In terms of how things went, I knew my team was better suited to elusive tactics to level the playing field. In terms of weaknesses, Ruby's reliance on Crescent Rose is almost legendary, and Ilia and Blake had history that I figured we could use to trip her up. As for Weiss and Yang, that was more a matter of using numbers, which nearly didn't work out." A question of my own came to me. "The way you've been talking makes it seem like you thought the match could go either way. If that's true, how come you didn't warn your nieces if you were coming to watch?"

"Damn, way to put me on the spot. If either of them were still out here, I'd be roasting over a fire." Qrow chuckled. "I figured the match could tip one way or another, depending on what strategies the teams brought. Obviously, yours ended up being a cut above the pipsqueaks this time. As for why I didn't give 'em a heads up, well, what good what it do 'em?"

"What Qrow means to say, is that despite being wonderful and talented huntresses, Ruby and Yang still have so much to learn in order to improve. The same goes for Weiss and Blake. And some of those lessons are better learned through difficult experience." Tai phrased things in a way only a teacher could've. "I'm sure it doesn't come as much of a surprise that Yang was top of her class back at Signal. Ruby too. I won't be so cruel to say that it was all talent, because those girls worked themselves to the bone, but the fact is they have incredible potential. However, when it has nothing to hone that against, that potential might go undiscovered."

"So…you used me so that they would lose in order to make them stronger in the future?" Tai and Qrow winced at the phrasing, but their expressions turned to confusion when I smirked. "Fine by me. I don't know if you've heard, but I've got quite the string of losses against my friends, all racked up so that I could get better bit by bit. As far as I'm concerned, winning by losing is a perfectly viable strategy."

"…Kid, for all that's holy, never get in a prolonged philosophical discussion with Raven." Qrow winced as I raised an eyebrow. "Well, _another_ philosophical discussion. I'm not sure if there needs to be two scary-ass people I know with crazy, yet different views on strength."

"Hey, the longer I'm off of Raven's radar, the longer I get to stay alive," I joked, before pausing as Qrow and Tai fixed me with bemused looks. "What?"

"You're kind of already…why do you think…ugh, forget it. You'll catch on." Qrow shuffled towards the exits. "Tai has some daughters to console, and I've got some pipsqueaks to make fun of, so we'll catch ya later, kid."

As the two walked off, they were replaced by JNPR, CFVY, Vernal and Sun.

"I can't wait to cash in on those favors from the traitors who call themselves my teammates." Sun was rubbing his hands together. "Dude, I think you just made my year."

"Sun, it's not even fall yet."

"I stand by what I said."

"More importantly," Sun was summarily shoved out of the way by Vernal, "Where the hell was that kind of strategy during our spars? Shit, I was getting chills watching it, and I couldn't even see half of it 'cause of the fog!"

I was caught off-guard. "Uhhh, there _are_ four people to a team. Most of this wouldn't have worked if-"

"I'm talking about the systemic countering of their fighting styles! That had to be you, right? You pulled the same crap the first time we fought." Vernal's grin slid off her face, her expression becoming shrewd. "How come that hasn't popped up since?"

"Well, for starters, people have a tendency to get rid of their weaknesses when they've been ruthlessly stomped on. Also, I thought that you'd enjoy more straightforward spars without tricks. That, and it's good to know where I stand in terms of raw combat ability, and you're perfect for that." I stopped as Vernal's face became neutral, which was normally cause for great concern.

"…Nothing, nothing at all damnit." Vernal's smirk returned in full force. "It's good to know that strength recognizes strength then? Using me as a measuring stick, huh? That's a hell of a compliment!"

"That's not remotely what I-"

"But man, I used to think you were a like some sort of unintentional copycat." Coco eyed me over her shades, a wry grin on her face. "Guess the jokes on me now. You can be on sneaky sonofagrimm, can't you?"

"Yup yup, Ren and I here can personally attest to his sneakiness!" I sighed at Nora's proud exclamation. "Though I can't say that Jaune and Pyrrha have much experience with it…"

"That's because the two of them are monsters, Nora," I deadpanned, causing the couple in question to spout denials, to no one's belief. In the meantime, I noticed that Velvet's posture was abnormally tense. "Velvet, something wrong?"

The Faunus turned to look at me, and smiled sweetly. "_Why would anything be wrong, Kouzai?_"

"…I don't know what I did wrong, but I ask for mercy." I shamelessly tiptoed back. Velvet's response was to _giggle_.

"_Silly Kouzai, everything's _fine_._" Velvet's smile grew. "_Though, I might ask for a spar sometime with you. Or maybe our teams could have our own match, right Coco?_"

"Mhm, sure, you got it Bunbun!" With her back to Velvet, her teammate couldn't see the sweat that ran down the fashionista's face as she stared at me with a look of pure 'you fucked up.'

"Whoa, if Kouzai's team is having matches with anyone, it should be the only other first-year team left to beat, right?" Nora used Magnhild's extended reach to loop Pyrrha and Jaune in with a resigned Ren.

Pyrrha however looked admittedly thoughtful. "I must profess to being curious about what it would be like for our teams to meet in battle. Given that your team handily overcame team RWBY, comprised of some of the most impressive individuals in our year, one can't help but wonder if the same would happen to us."

'Oh gods, please no!' I chuckled weakly. "Well, any talk of future matches will have to wait, because we need time to recover from _this_ one. I nearly got my arms bashed in from Yang after all, and for those who haven't fought Ruby yet, starting down the barrel _or_ the blade of Crescent Rose is downright terrifying…Coco, you alright?"

As I registered Coco's suddenly dreamy expression, a thought occurred to me. "By the way, Fox, how's your free time looking over the next few weeks?"

'_Good? Anything you need?_' Fox's response came through with tones of uncertainty. I grinned.

"Just a thought I had. I'm sure from your seats that everyone saw the way the match ended between Yang and Melanie." There were nods all around. "Well, if what I'm assuming is correct, what we saw was Melanie displaying a bit of the ability to use Aura sensing, right?"

"Uhhh, yeah? Where' you going with this, Kouzai?" The kicker's emerald eyes were wary.

"Considering how important of a skill Aura sensing is, I'd like to make sure that Melanie has the opportunity to develop it. The thing is, even after all the time I've spent with her, my lessons haven't really gotten through it seems…" I trailed off for dramatic emphasis, and watched as realization slowly dawned on Coco, Nora and Miltia's faces, along with their respective smirks. "As such, I think it'd be best if someone else takes over for me in teaching Melanie. So how about it, Fox?"

"WHAT?!" Melanie's face was afire, and Miltia let out uninhibited laughter. A glance towards Fox had him looking comparatively poleaxed.

"I think that's a yes, Kouzai. We'll work out the details some other time. You've got some interesting ideas though. If only you weren't so clueless at times…" Coco sighed, then began hauling her catatonic teammate away, Yatsu and Velvet waving.

"Only you, Kouzai…" Ren was shaking his head, and Nora was on her knees with her hands held up like I was some sort of deity, of what I didn't know. Any further comments were stopped as the sound of tapping arrived.

"Apologies to interrupt the pleasantries, but I have been informed by Professor Goodwitch that if we delay the repair of the arena any longer, she will have everyone present personally handle the repairs with glue. Including me." Ozpin delivered the lines cheerfully, before taking a sip of cocoa. "In addition, I would like to borrow Kouzai for a moment."

My paranoia on full alert, I had an idea of what this was about, but needed to cover my bases. "Sure thing. Do I have time to get changed, or…?"

"Of course, though I would advise haste. After all, suppertime approaches and I am ruled by hunger at times like many of you. We may meet in my office." All the students shared a laugh at that, though I had sincere questions about Ozpin's ability and willpower to stave off the need for sustenance. Resolving to put that off till later, I cleaned up and made my way towards the tower before stepping into the elevator.

'Okay, Goodwitch is still at the arena and Qrow should be with Ruby and the others. I saw Ironwood, so this could be an introduction for the good general to observe my talks with Mercury. Still, wouldn't it be better to wait until the gang is all here?'

As the elevator signaled my arrival, I was met by the sight of Ozpin at his desk, along with Ironwood off to the side and Amber seated on one of the couches. However, it was the last occupant that had me drawing a blank.

'What the hell is Penny doing here!' I had to force myself to only glance at the gynoid before focusing on Ozpin.

"Welcome, Mr. Higure. Thank you for taking the time to meet with us so soon after your riveting match earlier." Amusement twinkled behind the wizard's spectacles. "Before we begin, I would like to introduce the newcomers to the Academy. This is James Ironwood, Headmaster of Atlas and a dear friend of mine. With him is one of his students accompanying him for the Vytal Festival, Penny Polendina."

"It is a pleasure to meet you!" Penny jovially exclaimed, and I limply waved in response before being approached by Ironwood with his hand extended. Bracing myself, I shook his hand and tried to keep a straight face when met with bruising metal fingers.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Higure. As I'm sure your time is important, I would like to get straight to the point. I have been informed by Ozpin about the apprehending of a certain assassin, along with your talks with him. I would like if your next talk could possibly have room for another." I looked towards Ozpin for confirmation, but his face was obscured by his mug at the moment.

"I suppose it's a matter of whether Professor Ozpin is willing. Since he seems to be, I guess there aren't any problems if you join me for the next talk." Realistically speaking, having Ironwood along would cause Mercury to clam up like no other but-

"My apologies for not clarifying. The additional person during this meeting will not be me." At my quizzical look, _General_ Ironwood took on a bit of a sheepish look, before his gaze trailed away from me. I followed it to land on…

"I am told that Friend Mercury is currently on the grounds of Beacon Academy! Given the number of days that have passed since I last conversed with him, I would be most appreciative of the opportunity to talk with him!"

"…Say what now?"

**A/N: And so things progress towards multiple avenues. Again, apologies for the slightly late update, but sometimes needs must.**

**HappyHulk: A very happy birthday to you then, and hope that the new chapter added to the enjoyment.**

**Akurar: As someone who has knowledge of events to come and knows that their continued survival is in jeopardy, Kouzai has spent a lot of time thinking about the ins and outs of the characters and plot. Ideally he'd like to use some of that on his foes, but circumstances haven't exactly been kind to him thus far. However, in an environment of his choosing and with proper preparation, there is a hell of a lot Kouzai can bring to bear, as team RWBY now knows. The aftermath of the spar will definitely have effects for everyone involved.**

**Netapel: It's a tough act trying to give the myriad cast their deserved development, but some things come in fits and bursts, so hopefully everything gets more rounded out. And Sun with a shirt is probably one of Kouzai's greatest achievements for his time on Remnant.**

**Blackredray21: Interesting analogy for it, but good to see the prose doesn't get the readers too tripped up.**

**Raidentensho: I'm aiming to give each of team RWBY their opportunity to reflect on the aftermath, so you're spot-on there. As for Aura sensing, it's definitely a useful skill to have but it takes time and talent to develop, so we'll see how it catches on amongst team KMMI.**

**AlexFalTon: When it comes to candy, chocolate in particular, I've learned it's best to sometimes steer into the skid and adapt, rather than exert such herculean willpower, haha. In terms of their friendship, I reason that the students of huntsmen academies are more than a little different mentally when compared to the teenagers of real life. One such manifestation of this happens to present itself in a greater boundary of what's considered proper or dangerous. And while RoosterTeeth has been rather good at preventing unneeded or unironic mid-fight chats, sometimes it slips through, most often with those opposed to the main characters.**

**Gizmo Gear: I admire the fact that RWBY and JNPR were contrasted to show the mobility and defensiveness between the two, but the fact remains that RWBY are still considered more mobile tanks in the beginning than strikers. Few and far between are the characters that have shown themselves capable of generating circumstances to their advantage rather than bulldozing through, which is a skill likely quite crucial to survival on Remnant. And I actually didn't think of making the association with Penny and Mercury go that far back, but it would've been an interesting element to flesh out if the opportunity presented itself.**

**Zyriarch: Welcome to the story, and thanks for noticing that detail. I'm admittedly amused by the portrayals of Ozpin as a zany immortal who requires caffeine to function, but I think that the hot cocoa is an endearing touch for the character.**

**Blueassassin996: Whatever plan comes the way of Beacon will likely require more than just the two teams, but part of the reason Kouzai's around is to make sure things come out in one piece this time around.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 07/21/20**


	45. Chapter 42: Deep Doubts, Deep Wisdom

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Updates have arrived! The classwork has stabilized for now, but I'll have finals for my summer classes in a few weeks, so there won't be a new chapter on August 11. Fear not, there's some progression to get to before that point, and there'll definitely be a chapter for the one-year mark of this story's first chapter!**

Chapter 42: Deep Doubts, Deep Wisdom

Chapter Date: 07/23/2020

"So, to be clear on the facts, I'm supposed to have another talk with Mercury." I glanced over at Ozpin, who seemed quite relaxed compared to Ironwood's rigid posture at being inside Beacon's holding areas. Beside them was a passionately curious Penny, surely making note of certain details with senses and processing power that I assuredly did not possess.

"That is indeed accurate, Mr. Higure." Ozpin took a sip from his mug, but couldn't hide his amused eyes at the situation before him.

"And this talk is supposed to be alongside Penny here."

"Correct." Ironwood looked much less amused, though I wasn't sure if it was from being underwhelmed by my questioning abilities, or from entertaining the idea of bringing Penny along to something as delicate as questioning an assassin.

"And Penny will be there…because her and Mercury are _friends_?" I stressed the word as clearly as possible, looking directly at Penny as I said it. In her defense, I probably sounded like I was talking to a primary schooler from how slowly I spoke. In my defense, the situation was in the same boat as if Neo befriended and tamed a Grimm. Theoretically possible, but _very_ unlikely, and _really bad_ potentially for Remnant as a whole.

The gynoid with a supercomputer for a brain and databases worth of information was not picking up what I was laying down. "Your statement is factual! Friend Mercury and I have conversed with one another on multiple occasions, and he even stated that he didn't hate me, but if I were on fire and he had water, he'd drink it if he were thirsty! Therefore, he does not hate me!"

I desperately looked towards the two men responsible for training half of Remnant's best Huntsmen. "I can't help but have some reservations about how this will go."

"Ohhh, I was not aware that questioning individuals required reservations! General Ironwood, were you able to secure these reservations prior to today's session?"

Ironwood's smile looked refreshingly plastic, and I could see the gears turning in his head to talk to Pietro Polendina. "Rest assured Penny, you have already been cleared to join Mr. Higure in his conversation with Mercury Black."

"Sen-sational!"

Ozpin took another sip as I continued gawking at him. "Given the information gained from your previous interactions, I believe that allowing for this new addition will bring with it new and intriguing revelations. Now, I believe we have kept the detained waiting long enough. Mr. Higure and Ms. Polendina, you may head to the room and begin questioning." At Ozpin's word, I breathed deeply, before turning to an attentive Penny.

"Alright Penny, Mercury's room is this way if you'd come with me." Penny's joyful assent was indication enough, and we made our way down the halls of the building, the sounds of various Grimm within other areas doing little to pervade my train of thought.

'There's no feasible way that either Ozpin or Ironwood expect Penny to get information from Mercury, and I'm barely on forced speaking terms with the guy after our last tussle! So if intel on Cinder's plans isn't the objective, then…' I turned and locked eyes with Penny. "Hey Penny, would you be willing to wait outside of the room for a couple of minutes before I call you in to talk to Mercury?"

Lifelike red curls drooped slightly as Penny tilted her head sideways. "I find the request easy to fulfill, if not strange. Is there a reason you wish to talk with Friend Mercury without my presence?"

"Uhhh, it's a surprise for him. I'm sure he hasn't seen any friends in a while, so I thought it would be a nice change of pace during the talk to bring you in."

"…What a wonderful idea! I must thank you for thinking of mine and Friend Mercury's wellbeing in a such a way!"

"N-no problem." I ignored the guilt that came from fibbing to the innocent redhead, pushing an impassive expression into place as we neared Mercury's room. "Now, just wait out here for now. When I call out for you, you can come in, alright?"

"Affirmative!"

"Great…let's get this going then…" I opened the door to the holding area and walked inside, the illumination of the Hard-Light barrier washing my attire in a soft blue. As I took a seat, Mercury was already raising an eyebrow.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of another visit?" The assassin didn't pause in his workout routine, continuing to do handstand pushups while looking over at me.

"Well, I'd be remiss if I didn't come chat with you every so often. Plus, I came to see how the new prosthetics were working for you. Obviously they've gotta be pretty bad if you'd rather be on your arms than your legs at the moment."

"You just, caught me, in the middle, of my, afternoon workout." Mercury punctuated every few words with another pushup. "And I don't know about you, but crappy conversation is worse than none at all, especially when it's coming from you."

"I feel honored to be on the list of terrible conversation partners," I drawled, and was rewarded when Mercury chuckled and nearly slipped with his positioning. A thought popped into my head and I tried steering the conversation. "Then again, I can't be worse than the likes of Adam, Neo and Emerald after all."

"Seriously? That's the most blatant segue I've ever heard. You really do suck at intel gathering." Mercury reached the end of his exercise and sat up.

I smirked. "Humor me. Given from what I heard from my friends about Taurus, any conversation with him involves five extra servings of angst and edge. Meanwhile, Neo _literally_ can't talk." At that, Mercury snorted. "And I heard enough between you and Emerald to tell that scintillating wit isn't exactly the theme."

"Congratulations, you rank above a terrorist, a sadist, and a two-bit pickpocket."

"Hey, I'll take it. But you can't tell me your work didn't have you interacting with some rather interesting types."

"Asking me about my rep won't work, least of which is because I've got no clue what the hell 'interesting' is supposed to imply." Mercury began doing pistol squats. "Seriously, you can be vaguer at times than bureaucrats explaining where their funding goes."

"Apologies for the confusion, but I legitimately have no idea how I'm supposed to describe such a unique individual, given the fact that I met her about fifteen minutes ago." At that, Mercury's brows furrowed in confusion, and I mentally rubbed my hands together. "You know what, it'd likely be better if she explains it rather than me. You can come in now!"

My expectation that Penny possessed a finely-tuned audio processor didn't go unrewarded, as the hydraulics of the door slowly hissed open and Penny stepped inside. As she neared the periphery of the light, Mercury's eyes narrowed, then widened as he actually slipped this time, his butt thumping against the floor.

"Hello Friend Mercury. I heard the news of your apprehension, and I requested to meet and speak with you." Penny strode right past where I was seated and made for the Hard-Light Barrier, heedless of my attempts to snag her arm before something drastic happened. The gynoid paused right before the humming Dust barrier. "Is it true that you are an assassin working for terrorists and criminals?"

Mercury engaged in the fine pastime of wordless jaw working, trying to fit the whole kit and caboodle that had waltzed into the situation. Eventually, gray eyes turned to me, then at the camera filming the session, then back to me. "Now that's vicious, springing someone like her on me like that."

I shrugged, unabashed. "She insisted. I didn't even know the two of you knew each other until I met her not twenty minutes ago."

"Heh, fair. I wouldn't have mentioned it considering that it wasn't any of your business." Mercury ruffled his hair back into its normal style. "And Penny, you can decide for yourself what kind of person I am. I don't exactly hide what I'm like."

"Not the snark perhaps, just the little murdery quirks." I drew an actual glare from Mercury for that one before continuing. "Penny, it would be safer for you to step a bit further away from the Hard-Light barrier. We wouldn't want you to be hurt."

Penny took a single step back, but was still far closer than anyone else had been to Mercury since his imprisonment. "My previous query goes unanswered, friend. I would ask if you have been contracted for murder and if you are working against the interests of the Kingdoms."

"It doesn't really matter whether or not it's true, does it? Only that Ozpin thinks that it is, and that's good enough to keep me locked up in here. Talk about due process." Mercury snorted again, before he looked at Penny. "And if you're here, that means General Irondick and all the other students have arrived."

"If you are referring to General Ironwood, then-"

"Man, I've been cooped up in here for more than a few weeks at this point, huh? Hard to tell with no windows or clock or whatnot." Mercury plopped down on his bed, before addressing Penny again. "And I'm not sure why you haven't caught on that I'm not the squealing type. Hell, even the stubborn piece of work behind you gets it. Then again, I'm pretty sure you're a few cards short of a full deck at this point."

I bristled at Mercury's insult towards Penny, but the victim in question merely blinked, expression unchanging. "I am unaware of the meaning of this statement. I believe that it is customary for most card games to be played with the removal of the jokers in a deck."

Only the soft hum of the barrier was heard for a moment, before outright chuckling and giggling crept past the hand covering Mercury's mouth. Then the assassin gave up all pretenses of composure and started full-on laughing, letting the sound bounce off the walls.

"Haha, see, this is why she's so much more of a conversation partner than you, Higure. None of the cloak-and-dagger, roundabout crumb-trail nonsense." Mercury looked more lively than he had in weeks.

"On the subject of jokers, I would like to question you regarding information you may have on an individual that you have encountered." Penny continued bulldozing her way through the conversation, and I had to respect where that earnestness was getting her, as Mercury seemed to be genuinely paying attention for the moment. "I would ask that you detail any information that you might have regarding the Specter."

If the camera for the room hadn't been centralized on the holding area and Mercury, Ozpin and Ironwood would've doubtless gotten to see my shocked expression boring into the back of Penny's head. On the other hand, it seemed like Mercury was in the same situation, though he recovered much faster to scrutinize the freckled girl facing him.

"…Huh. I'm surprised you'd be coming to me about something like that, but there's not much to tell." Mercury held his chin thoughtfully, and I waited with breath held for what would come out of his mouth. "I've only heard rumors about him, and seen him once. He was an operative based in Mistral, doing different kinds of jobs that're open to the less morally inclined. From what I heard, he also stuck it to the White Fang more than a few times, but whether it was at someone's word or a personal bent is anyone's guess.

The one time I saw him, his appearance lived up to the hype. Garbed in a black robe and gloves, no part of his body was laid bare. He had a mask on, which would've had me calling White Fang if it weren't for the fact that the Fang hates him. The only thing that was differed from the tales was that his eyes were shining red, with a tint of yellow too. Now _that_ was a guy who made it a point to look like a Grimm, and it worked." Mercury's back tilted into the wall. "That's all I've got for ya, Penny."

"Thank you for your honesty, Friend Mercury. I would also like to ask if your current prosthetics are at an acceptable level of mobility and durability. If further adjustments are required, I would be happy to return them to my father." At Penny's words, Mercury smiled.

"So I've got your pops to thank for being able to do actual squats? Tell him thanks for me." Mercury seemed to grasp exactly what that meant after a second, his grey eyes darkening. "The specs are fine though. I'm getting by with them as they are now. Thanks though."

I didn't know if there were any other topics that Penny, really Ironwood, wanted to get to, but it was a _very good_ idea to cut things off now. "If my witticisms aren't cutting it for you, I suppose it'll be another talk with Ozpin and the good general on getting you a new dance partner. 'Til next time, Mercury." I motioned for Penny to step out with me, and the glow of the room disappeared as the door closed.

… … …

"Well, that was certainly novel. Mr. Higure and Ms. Polendina make for quite the interesting conversational duo."

"That's one word for it, Ozpin." Ironwood's hand clenched. "That boy remains obstinate in the face of his situation, and Higure did little but poke and prod at insignificant subject matters."

"Calm yourself, old friend. Kouzai Higure is untrained in the ways of proper questioning, and I believe that is for the best in the current situation." Ozpin gathered his thoughts as he glanced at the monitor again. "It is clear that young Mercury has been conditioned on how to remain firm in instances of interrogation, be it verbal or the more…physical variety. Such efforts in that avenue would only rob us of actionable information. However, given his upbringing, Mercury may also be less than well-versed when it comes to casual interaction. By bringing in unconventional individuals to converse with him…"

"You aim to take Mercury off-guard and allow for more passive acquisition of information. Hah…that is quite the on-brand manner of plan, Ozpin. I can only pray that it bears fruit before _Her_ agents make another move."

"There is a risk with this plan, like all plans, but I remain optimistic on its success. After all, we now have further confirmation on some of the Specter's activities, his locale, and his appearance from a member of the underworld."

"And that's another thing. Why exactly was Mercury so willing to divulge information on the Specter as opposed to Cinder Fall or Adam Taurus?" Ironwood turned to face Ozpin, looking the immortal in the eye. "If the Specter were truly on their side, information that could lead to his capture would only hurt them."

"Ahh, but that appears to be the nature of Mr. Black's thought process. Given our line of questioning, he is likely aware, as are we, that the Specter is not an entity that lies with either general agenda. Rather, he remains unattached, and the motive for providing such information would only narrow his options. Under duress, the path forward become unclear, and joining a side for protection or otherwise becomes quite enticing."

"So pursuing this individual could lead to the deadlock that has kept the Specter unaffiliated to break. But we cannot just sit back and blindly believe that a criminal such as that will act for the greater good!"

"On that, we are in agreement." Ozpin smiled in reaction to the surprise on Ironwood's face. "It is true that much of this Specter remains shrouded in secrecy, and that forcing efforts at recruitment might well end poorly. But gathering information is well within the realm of possibility. And with information comes motive. With motive, clarity. And with clarity…a course of action."

… … …

After parting with Penny, I was left alone with my thoughts, which was a pleasant change of circumstances, considering that I had _a lot_ to juggle at the moment.

'Okay, so Ozpin and Ironwood are looking for the Specter. No big deal, that was bound to happen after Amber. Cinder and Adam are also looking for the Specter, which was pretty clear after the whole 'arm burned off' deal. If Ozpin and Ironwood are on it though, that definitely means Qrow and Winter are on it. And if _they're_ on it, it won't be long till team RWBY are on it. And once that happens, it's back to my ass being back on the line with them, albeit they wouldn't know that it's me this time…well, except for Blake. And that's a whole 'nother can of worms to-'

The sound of a scroll ringing cut through my internal rant, and I felt around until I pulled out my burner scroll. Staring down at it with the expression normally reserved for waking up Melanie, I answered the call. "Please tell me this is about good news."

"The day I make time just to do that is the day Adam Taurus turns to pacifism." Roman chuckled over his own joke. "Yeah, I've got news of the 'oh shit' persuasion, and figured that the somewhat sane munchkins should hear about it before it gets to the less than sane ones."

"I resent the designation, but go ahead."

"I take it you're not shocked to hear that Neo was present in the audience during that spar you had with Little Red and her team." My flat silence was enough. "Yeah, she was far too smug for that to be otherwise. Great stuff, by the way. If things and Beacon don't work out, and Junior doesn't want you coming back, and you don't end up in a shallow ditch somewhere-"

"_Roman_."

"Yeesh, someone's been starved for good conversation today." I slid a hand down my face at the unfortunate accuracy of that statement. "Getting to the good stuff then. It's all good and dandy that the brats aren't going to charge out and get themselves carved up out of nowhere, but it _does_ mean that someone's gotta handle things around Vale. And I don't mean the cops."

"Continue." I didn't like where this was going…

"Remember how I mentioned that Cinder's got me pulling in some experimental weaponry from Atlas? The very murdery kind?"

"Yes…"

"Welp, there's a pretty score that's made it's way across the ocean. Most of it is headed out of the city proper, but what's coming in is still enough to make life very bad for a good many people. So if Little Red and hers won't be venturing out of their own accord to cuff my dainty hands, then…" Roman trailed off, and the implication was pretty clear to the both of us.

"Just tell me it's something manageable, like a cache of guns, or a new bullhead."

"I would love to, really, I would. I did however say that I'd be supplying you all with intel, and Roman Torchwick doesn't deliver-"

"For the love of gods, get it over with!"

"It's a huge, piloted death robot."

"…Ah, Grimmshit."

**A/N: So like I mentioned, I've got finals for summer classes coming up in a few weeks, so there won't be an update on August 11. There's a bit to get through before that point, so look forward to that. Now for reviews.**

**Fuyuki365: That's the nature of things, though at this point Kouzai is well-versed in forcefully turning losses around, as much as can be managed.**

**AlexFalTon: Well, you weren't far off the mark there on their first conversation, just with a little more cheerful forcefulness from Penny and a little less cluelessness from Mercury. It definitely leads to interactions that I enjoy writing.**

**Raidentensho: Unfortunately, not everyone can be the socially suave when it comes to matters of the opposite gender. As for the other characters, the buildup for things is being laid for events later on.**

**Eseer: Hmm, I'm not sure how a resemblance in their speech might exist, but I suppose I'll have to take a look. I'd like to think I've kept true to the characters' speech patterns, but we'll see.**

**Gizmo Gear: Kouzai's maturation has granted him an edge in terms of his training methods and studying, though some drawbacks might show themselves. And what irony it would be to have Dr. Polendina make prosthetics for someone working for a colleague of Watts.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 07/28/20**


	46. Chapter 43: The Company He Keeps

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Happy Tuesday! Here we are, turning the corner into August, which is evincing a whole slew of feelings. Also of note is that this story reached 600 follows while I wasn't looking, so thanks a bunch to the readers out there for giving this story a chance and sticking with it! I'll definitely be looking to keep the fun times going as the one-year mark for this story starts to approach.**

Chapter 43: The Company He Keeps

Chapter Date: 07/28/20

"Normally, I'd say this is a bad look for you, but considering that a fair bit of your time has been spent almost literally eating the dirt, this isn't terrible." As always, Prim was a master of understatement, and I spared her a sideways look from my facedown position on the rooftop.

"No need to hold back on my account, 'cause I'm fine with calling this a gods awful situation." I groaned and rolled onto my back, staring up at the shifting sky. From above, Prim rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall, tucked into the shade.

"So you've got two immortals gunning for you, big whoop. You've been in their crosshairs ever since saving the Fall Maiden anyhow, so what's it matter that you've got confirmation?" Prim waited until I'd locked eyes with her to continue. "This is what your grandmaster plan entailed anyhow, right? Making those changes so the big catastrophes wouldn't come to pass?"

"I get the feeling you're about to patronize me, but yes."

"How astute of you. You're essentially getting into the middle of a storm trying to erode a mountain, and trying to force it off by sheer force of flapping your arms. It's working, but it's less about the arm-flapping and more that both forces of nature are looking down and wondering what brain-dead organism would seriously get in the way of them two. It's like Captain America trying to hold Thanos back, but worse."

"Hey, Cap stood a chance there, and he even later got-"

"Do _you_ have access to a magical weapon that can grant you the powers of a god?"

"Well, you could always just-"

"_No_."

"…Then no."

"Then short of picking up a relic for yourself, you were always going to find yourself outgunned. And that's not even the best part. Well, worst part for you, I suppose." Prim held her hands up. "On the one side, you managed to keep the Fall Maiden alive, indirectly helped stop the robbery at the docks, and stopped team RWBY from going after the Paladin. On the other though, now you have _no idea_ what Cinder's plan to take the Maiden powers is, do you?"

"…I know that Vale has a Paladin problem."

"Which you'll get to deal with. Beyond that, it's a game of whack-a-mole on finding out what the new plan is, only the mole whacks you back and has a bigger hammer than you."

"Truly, you are Remnant's greatest hype man." I sat myself against the wall and stretched my arms out. "So I'm in the same situation as Volume 1, got it. All that means is heading back to the drawing board on piecing together Cinder and Adam's personalities, and going off of what they've already invested."

"So the young whippersnapper does learn after all. And here I thought you'd be spiraling back down into an angsty mess again before getting your ass kicked."

"I'm aware that you're immortal and all, but hearing 'young whippersnapper' with that face is just a little weird."

"I aim to please. Now, you've got plans to make and people to beg for help!"

"Hah, you're unfortunately not wrong…"

… … …

"You cannot be serious…" Melanie flopped backwards onto her bed, arm over her eyes. "An honest-to-god mech? Where does Torchwick even find this stuff?"

"With enough lien, almost anything can walk off the shelves. And Cinder and her superior seem to have extremely deep pockets…" Miltia had her claws off, though her fingers flexed tensely.

'Note to self, think about where Salem is getting her funds from at some other time.' I cleared my throat to draw the focus back. "However they managed to get ahold of it, the point is it's in Vale, and will be used to draw disgruntled Faunus in for recruitment. From what Torchwick mentioned last time, it seems like the majority of the arms wrangled for the White Fang are heading towards Mountain Glen."

"So not only is there the short-term danger of having one in the city, but the long-term risk of whatever stockpile is potentially out there being used." Ilia had a hand on her chin in thought. "Adam doesn't necessarily shy away from the long game, but at his core he's still an impatient person. So what exactly will those weapons and new recruits be used for?"

"I can't imagine the answer will be too hard to think about." Accelerating the train of thought was risky, but it was a conclusion that others might have naturally reached in time regardless. "What event is coming up within say a few months that will highlight the White Fang's power if attacked?"

Miltia's eyes widened. "The Vytal Festival…"

"No fucking way! The White Fang are terrorists, sure, but attacking the Vytal Festival is like spitting on the flags of all four kingdoms! There's absolutely no benefit for the Faunus except for uniting of humankind against them." Melanie looked over to Ilia and I. "For gods' sake, shouldn't even the White Fang have more of a survival instinct than that?"

"Sienna wouldn't ever call for such drastic measures. Even if she advocated for the use of force to advance the White Fang's cause, she knew how important it was to keep violence in moderation so some semblance of public opinion was in their favor." Ilia looked up from the ground, and it was the sheer worry that drove the situation home for the twins. "Adam seems to be running the show in Vale though. Given the number of organizational and operational changes I've seen, it's entirely possible that his actions and alliance with Cinder and Torchwick are being kept away from the main branch's notice."

"And it's not like Taurus is doing well in the sanity department as of late. I can attest that the last time him and I crossed blades, he was itching to go on a rampage. It's not a hard leap to think that mentality might be either causing or be the cause of the Fang's recent aggressive actions." I cracked my neck out of preemptive stress. "That's not even the most difficult part of this though."

Miltia looked lost. "I'm sorry, but there's something _worse_ than a potentially rogue White Fang branch planning a terrorist attack during an international peace celebration?"

"Nothing worse than that per say, but more in how to resolve that situation." Ilia's head jerked slightly in my direction, and it seemed like she'd caught on. "The paladin needs to be stopped, yes. The rally needs to be broken up, yes. The Fang's operations in Mount Glen need to be crushed, yes. But if _we're_ the ones who end up taking care of these tasks, sooner or later Cinder and her crew will question how we know what we do. And it won't be a hard jump to go from us to Junior, and from him to Torchwick. After that, it's open war in Vale's underworld and potentially even overworld. So we need to-"

"I swear Kouzai, if you're about to suggest leaving Miltia and I behind while you and Ilia fuck off again to handle this all by yourselves, you're getting a bladed heel up the ass." Melanie's eyes were nearly aflame.

Miltia wasn't much better, her arms crossed and veins appearing on her tensed muscles. "If I recall, the last time you attempted to resolve an issue without your full team, you nearly had a burning warehouse collapse in on you. And the time before that had you being beaten and kidnapped by two assassins and used as bait."

"So my track record for going solo isn't spotless, I'm well aware. But you kind of glossed over the point, which was that we can't have things being tracked back to Junior and/or Torchwick. That means that not only can you two not be seen busting up the rally, but even Ilia and I can't be spotted. Only an idiot would believe that we managed to keep our involvement hidden from you two." I pushed on to get to the question that I knew would be on everyone's minds. "And I can't suit up as the Specter for one very specific reason. The issue can't be competently resolved unless there's multiple groups of capable fighters, and without the aid of Junior's men, there's only one possible place to get that kind of help."

"Beacon students. JNPR. CFVY. RWBY." Ilia leaned against her desk. "And none of them are exactly friendly with the Specter."

"Exactly. So in reality, our entire team is essentially locked out of direct participation for the time being, meaning that things will have to be left to our friends, or Ozpin and his colleagues." I let them weigh the options. "I'd rather not have to explain to Ozpin and maybe Ironwood where I got this information from, so our friends it is. And maybe substitute team RWBY for SSSN since I don't want them, especially Blake, anywhere near that mess."

"So both the winners and the losers of the match are staying back. Isn't that just peachy?" I drew my legs close to avoid as Melanie paced around the room. "So your plan for dealing with the Fang rally and giant robot, is to _not deal with it_ and beg the others to handle it for you?"

"That's…not how I'd word it, but I suppose so." I sighed. "Keep in mind, whether or not this works is all contingent anyways on if enough of our friends agree to it. Keep in mind that this is an exceedingly dangerous task we're potentially setting on them."

"I'm sure that there are more than a few of our friends who wouldn't need more than the possibility of danger to take part." Miltia replied dryly, and everyone surely imagined the faces of Yang, Nora, Coco and Sun.

'And that probably isn't even the half of it. Considering people like Vernal and Neo, Qrow and Amber-' I stood stock still as all brainpower ground to a halt, save for the few synapses following that particular trail of thought. 'No, that isn't what her plan is, right? It couldn't be…but the resources have been invested, and the timing would be good…'

"Kouzai, are you alright?" Ilia had wised up to my frozen state, it seemed. "Is there something else that we forgot to go over?"

"No, nothing concrete at least…" I shook my head and eyed my teammates, trying to run the calculations in my head. "If I'm right, we might have something to do after all, though…"

… … …

"Yeah, definitely count me in."

"Sun, you should be just a little bit more hesitant about throwing you and your team into a warehouse of White Fang with a giant robot in the mix." I ran a hand down my face, trying not to absorb the positivity that was radiating off the Faunus. I was supposed to be acting stern, damnit! "Not to mention, you'll likely be doing it alongside teams that you're unfamiliar with-"

"Oh, we've got backup? Sweet! Let me guess, is it JNPR? Or CFVY, they'd seem pretty interested. Don't even get me started on team RWBY." At the sight of my hanging jaw, Sun shrugged. "If you trust these guys to have your back, then I consider them to be pretty reliable. Not to mention, if they can manage to be friends with you, then I shouldn't have an issue."

"That's because you'd befriend a rock if you felt like it," I muttered, then groaned when Sun's smile grew even wider. "Stupid Faunus senses. Look, you may be fine working with my friends and whatnot, but are you sure about leaping into the fray here? And no, that's not a figure of speech, I expect there to be actual leaping."

"Of course. I may be a Faunus, but you know damn well that I don't agree with those stupid holier-than-thou creeps. As far as I'm concerned, the Faunus themselves have to do their part to keep those in the White Fang from making unilateral decisions that negatively impact faunuskind." Sun used his tail to scratch his cheek while his arms were behind his head. "Plus, if this Paladin really was stolen from Atlas, then I should pay them back a little and help them out."

"I'm sorry, you're paying _Atlas_ back? As in, helping them?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" At my utter confusion, Sun slapped his fist into his other palm. "Oh right, I haven't gotten around to those stories yet. Basically, after you guys left Argus, I started spending a bit of time over at the base. Turns out, Cordovin's pretty easy to get used to, and I was able to help out here and there. Then again, maybe she was so friendly since I was friends with Pyrrha and you knew Winter, especially after she got together with Qrow."

"…I feel like I'm passing up on a criminally underrated story right now, but we'll get back to that another time." I clutched my throbbing forehead, trying to envision the fact that Sun had chummed it up with someone substantially less friendly than a rock. "Clearly, you've got no issues with helping out, but what about Neptune, Scarlet and Sage?"

"Well, literally all I have to do for Neptune is tell him that he'll score some points with some of the girls. As for Scarlet and Sage, they shouldn't really be tough to convince either. As long as I explain to them how the Fang can be handled more safely by us, and throw in something about it being a team activity, we should be fine. If it comes to it, you can just use the favors on them to get them to go."

"I'm not sure those extend to placing yourself in potentially life-threatening situations…"

"Kouzai, we're in a huntsmen academy. I literally sit at the same table as people who could end me, and probably are classified as weapons of destruction. Life-threatening is our bread and butter."

"If only everyone were as easygoing as you…"

"I know, right?"

Then a thought occurred to me. "By the way, you won't be put off if team RWBY aren't able to come right? I wouldn't want to get in the way of any bonding time you might have with them."

Sun's brow furrowed. "This one of those code things? Who would I be hanging out with?"

"Nevermind. The less there is on that front, the fewer headaches in store for me in a few weeks…"

… … …

"You're telling me RWBY won't be on the op? I dunno…"

"_Coco_!"

"Fine fine, I'm sorry Vel. Count us in then Kouzai."

"And somehow, I feel more reassured by that display than I did with Sun." I sighed happily, before letting the grin slide off my face and turning to face CFVY as a whole. "Just to be clear, this is to break up a White Fang rally and stop them from using or smuggling Atlas tech away. This is not an officially sanctioned mission, and we're going off intel that I still need to determine whether or not it's wholly accurate."

"It doesn't matter. Besides being a menace for both humans and Faunus alike, the White Fang under Adam Taurus and Cinder hurt my friends. I would enjoy the chance to pay them back." There was a glint in Velvet's eye that reminded me a fair bit of Vernal, before she turned to her teammates. "And I'm sure the same goes for the rest of you, right?"

"As you can see, our team has already been spoken for," Coco chuckled, before pushing her shades up and smirking. "Besides, we _are_ the upperclassmen compared to the rest of you. If we don't occasionally kick our fair share of ass, how're we supposed to maintain our reputation as Beacon's premier team?"

"I think now that Pyrrha and Jaune are here-"

"_As Beacon's premier team_." At my nodding head. Coco's expression changed from smug satisfaction towards one of…uncertainty. "Also, it's for the best that RWBY aren't tagging along for this one. I've got some things I wanna pull together, figuratively speaking."

My shades stared into hers for a second before it clicked for me. "Wow, you really do have it bad for someone on the team."

Chocolate brown eyes glared over shades. "And if I didn't tell you anything, you'd have never known, so don't act like it's obvious!"

I shook my head. "Trust me, I wouldn't have caught it otherwise. Speaking of, I still don't know who you're crushing on."

"That's because you're quite literally the densest person I know, and I'm including the oblivious target of my freaking affections!" Coco took a deep breath. "Sorry, just a little frustration on that front mixing with some exasperation on your own ignorance."

"Umm, I'll take your word for it? Anyways, what about the two of you?" I turned towards a snickering Fox and smiling Yatsu. "I won't hold it against anyone if they have reservations about the whole thing."

'_Fat chance of that. You know how much flak I'll catch from Velvet over telepathic think if I don't help out? Not to mention, whoever else is going might need an Aura senser in case one of those illusion users pops up. They can be a nasty piece of work for people who aren't trained_.' Fox fixed his sightless eyes in my direction. '_On that note, how's Mel taking the Aura lessons? I know she's not the most attentive student, and Aura sensing's a tough skill to grasp._'

"Oh, I don't think she has any problems with motivation. Her progress means she gets to spend more time with you after all." I was maybe a bit cruel to enjoy Fox's face darkening as the rest of his team openly laughed.

'_Laugh it up while you can, but we'll all be tearing our hair out in a few weeks' time. I especially look forward to seeing how screwed you are, Kouzai._' If Fox notice my puzzled glance, he didn't mention it. '_Make sure you keep your team safe though. We'll look after the ones on the frontline, but you're the one that has to keep eyes on everyone staying back. _Don't let them get hurt.'

"While I'm sure that Fox has a singular individual in mind, his sentiment is correct in requesting that you safeguard those we cannot watch over. I will not insult your intuition by claiming that you are unaware of whom I imagine specifically." Yatsu scratched his cheek, attempting to ignore the blush on his face as he turned back to me. "As for my own participation, do remember that I owe you a significant debt for your service to my village some years ago. My gratitude towards your bravery will not easily be forgotten or dismissed, and shall be paid in full."

"Err, whatever makes you happy Yatsu. Anyways, I'll be reaching out again once I've got a handle on exactly who and what we're working with."

"Sound's good Kouzai. And remember, keep your eyes on the prize…also, the prize is a girlfr-"

"_COCO!_"

… … …

"Well, it's about time you included us! We're in!"

"…Come again?"

"I think what Nora's getting at is that we're happy that you came to us for help, and we'd be glad to lend a hand, or hands in this case."

"I know what Nora meant, I think." I rubbed my temples and faced the ridiculously strong quartet that were some of my oldest friends. "I guess that I just had a bit of trouble wrapping my head around your complete willingness to skirt around Vale's regulations in order to fight a big death robot…alright, I get Nora's excitement, but the rest of you?"

"I am unsure of why you're surprised Kouzai, given the various actions we've taken that have broken laws. The very weapons we hold are due to our blatantly illegal intervention in fighting the Cleansers." Ren's casual rebuttal cut right through my surprise. "In addition, there was also our first battle against the White Fang, wherein we fought Adam Taurus. A rematch would not be out of the question or unwarranted."

"Not to mention, the reason you three saved Terra was because you all kind of trespassed on Atlas and Argus property." Jaune rubbed the back of his neck. "It'd be hypocritical of me to have an issue with helping now without having called you out for back then."

"And given your various excursions while in Anima and Vale over the last couple of years, I think it's safe to say that we're quite comfortable at this point with you operating in a more…what?" Pyrrha trailed off as she noticed me looking at her with absolute bafflement, as three palms met their respective faces.

"Pyr…"

"Pyrrha…"

"Pyrrha, WHY?!"

Realization slowly crept along Pyrrha's face at the same time as dawning horror. "Oh no…I'M SORRY!"

"You know? _All of you_ know? You've _known_?" Wording the questions was like trying to catch water in a sieve, but I watched as all of JNPR nodded. "For how long?"

"Uhh, for a while. Pretty much since the first news stories about you rolled around." Nora nodded sagely.

"_That was almost right after I started!_"

"And? It's not like you even changed your disguise from the first time the three of us wore it." I gaped incredulously as Nora cocked her head. "You didn't seriously think we'd be that oblivious, did you?"

"We believed that you had your own reasons for taking on the tasks that you did, and kept note of the fact that no information about you presented you as having committed any unforgiveable acts." Ren was the diplomatic one as always. "We trusted that you would come to us with your secret when you felt comfortable doing so, and as such we were content to wait."

"Plus, it helps that your connections are definitely helping out in the whole situation involving Cinder and the White Fang." Jaune shrugged and held his hands up. "What? If we're coming clean, it's worth mentioning that we knew about Miltia and Melanie's reputations, along with Junior's. He's known as an information dealer after all."

"So you guys have known about me for a while? And you have no problems with it? And you haven't reported me to anyone yet?" The nods were rather indignant at that last question, but I breathed deeply at being in the clear for now. Avoiding hyperventilation, I turned back to the group. "Okay, so a big thanks for keeping my secret then, and for believing in me enough to respect my freedom in the matter. Is it too much to hope that you all can continue to keep silent on that for the time being until I mention otherwise?"

"Your friendship and efforts to help us have earned you at least that much, so of course." Ren stated succinctly.

"Great, because in the interest of full disclosure, I'm being sought after by Ozpin and his colleagues, and Cinder and hers. A long story on that end, but I promise that I'll get to things when my brain is less liable to explode. Does anyone have any questions?"

"Will there be pancakes at this war council?"

"First, it's just a meeting, no war council involved. Second, I'll have pancakes just for you, Nora."

"HOORAY!"

As I shut the door and leaned heavily against the corridor, I weakly ran my hands through my hair. 'Haha, is it weird to think that I'm getting too old for this shit?'

Whatever the case was, the groundwork seemed to be laid for the rally. On the other matters though…

I pulled my scroll out and dialed, letting the monotonous rings calm me down and put me back in my element before the call went through.

"Junior? It's me. I need you to take care of something for me."

**A/N: There's no kill like overkill. Then again, when it comes to the likes of Cinder and Adam, an exorbitant amount of power is needed to be considered overkill against people of their caliber. In any event, we'll see what the SE version of the Paladin fight looks like coming up…as in, more people, more explosions, and definitely more pain, just maybe not for the right people. Now for reviews.**

**AlexFalTon: I can't say I'm very into Gundam either, but I can appreciate the ham-ness that is a Paladin in the world of RWBY. Now that I think about it, RoosterTeeth has that mech show Genlock too, so I wonder how similar the big robots are across shows. Hmm, food for thought.**

**Gizmo Gear: Ahh, one of my favorite quotes from recent memory; maturity does not equate to wisdom, and wisdom does not equate to common sense. Huntsmen-in-training don't seem to be particularly well-versed in the latter two, and even Kouzai can't avoid those shortcomings, though there are other circumstances to thank for that specific oversight.**

**Blueassin996: Needless to say, Kouzai isn't exactly thrilled to find himself on the radar of two immortals, and even less so to find that they're actually committing resources to find out who he is before the other. But now that he knows…**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 08/04/20**


	47. Chapter 44: Forewarned Is Forearmed

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: Hey hey hey, guess who lost power thanks to Isaias?...Yeah, getting things in order was not fun in the slightest, the least of which being that all the stores were stuffed to the gills with people on understandably short fuses. Whatever the case, we're here now, so I hope I haven't kept you all waiting. As a reminder, there won't be an update on 8/11 due to much finals, but more on that towards the bottom.**

Chapter 44: Forewarned Is Forearmed

Chapter Date: 08/04/20

"Alright, before we get started, does anyone have questions pertaining to the mission?"

"This room is kinda cramped…"

'_Any room with Yatsu in it tends to feel smaller than it actually is. At least everyone's got an excuse to squeeze together._'

"Eek!"

"Fox…"

"Where. Are. My. PANCAKES?!"

"You already ate them, Nora. More should be arriving soon, though I admit to being curious as to how a club can serve pancakes."

"Neptune, are things always like this?"

"Most of the people here are new to me, but for the ones I'm familiar with…yes."

"I don't know why I bothered…" I brought a hand up to my face and surveyed the scene that was _sixteen_ huntsmen academy students in one room. Though a private, soundproofed club room it was, things were still a bit tighter than would've been comfortable had privacy not been a concern.

Sun, the eternal consummate wingman, was chatting up Fox while managing to passively box Miltia and Melanie closer to their respective crushes, to their mutual pleasure and embarrassment. Neptune, on the other hand, was being ruthlessly cut off from pursuing any attempts of flirting with Velvet by Coco, who also ignored him in favor of trading fashion trends with Scarlet. Close by them, Sage and Jaune appeared to be in a passionate discussion on the merits of classic versus mecha-shift weaponry. Lastly, Ren sat by me as he hovered by the door in case a speedy exit or replenishment of pancakes was needed for a feasting Nora.

"The things I sign myself up for…" I threw a look next to me at my partner, and Ilia responded with a wonderful deadpan as I cleared my throat. "Since no one's got questions _before_ we start talking, let's get into it then." Mercifully, that got everyone's attention as the group quieted down and I fired up the room's wall display unit.

"From what information I've managed to acquire thus far, the White Fang will be having a recruitment rally this coming weekend to bolster their ranks. For what purpose is something I have yet to figure out, but an infiltration and subsequent reporting of should lead to the probable defeat and arrest of those soldiers already in attendance. However, that's not the priority here. _This is_." I shifted the screen over to a holo-image of the Paladin, and some of my friends' eyes widened in slight recognition.

"The White Fang getting its hands on new weapons is cause for alarm in of itself, but this is Atlas weaponry we're talking about here. Specifically, mechanized battlesuits Atlas plans to roll out called the Paladin. I'm sure some of you have seen Ironwood's exhibition announcements talking about this in Vale, which means you might know that this piece of tech was built in conjunction with the Atlas Military and the SDC. I don't need to tell anyone what the implication of that are."

"Uhh, not for nothing, but how did the White Fang get their hands on a huge robot belonging to Atlas and the SDC?" Sun was quite proactive with the questions now. "And more importantly, why haven't we heard anything about it?"

"If the White Fang's recent 'joint business ventures' are any indication, they have Vale's premier thief and smuggler in the form of Roman Torchwick at their service," Melanie answered with a snarl.

"On that second question, I'm sure almost everyone here knows that the good councilmen and military leaders of Atlas would sooner swallow a jar of acid before admit culpability on their individual part or the part of the kingdom." I added dryly as a few dark chuckles joined in. "Regardless, the point is that at least one of these will be present at the rally to be showcased, and in the event of an attack, someone will almost certainly hop right in and put those systems to use. I cannot stress this enough though; one of these has the capability to take on multiple groups of Grimm _singlehandedly_. That kind of firepower means that entire blocks of the city could crumble if things aren't taken _very fucking carefully_, got it?"

I received grim nods in response, as the sheer size and apparent lethality of the machine on display evinced a clear estimate of the potential number of casualties. 'I still can't believe Torchwick's ass wasn't on fire in the show for that highway chase in particular. The man sent about a dozen cars flying! No no, not the time for this…'

"The reason I asked for so much backup in regards to the Paladin wasn't because I didn't think teams here weren't capable of taking it down, but rather that we as students, on a vigilante mission, need to take every precaution so that others don't get caught in the crossfire. Not to mention, the Paladin won't be the only thing you have to deal with. Besides the White Fang members present, there will most definitely be some extra security present, courtesy of alliances with Torchwick and Cinder." The mention of Cinder definitely got to everyone in the room but SSSN, and even the all-male team tensed, feeling the ratcheting hostility at the name. "Assuming that this alliance works in pairs, like what happened to me, there's the strong likelihood that Cinder herself will make an appearance, along with one other person."

Sun's expression turned uneasy. "So everyone will have to deal with the White Fang, Cinder, one of her lackeys and a Paladin? That's…not quite what I had expected."

"Speak for yourself. This is just the opportunity we've been waiting for." Coco's shades glinted as her smile turned vicious. "My team has a score to settle with her in particular."

"And unless there are at least two teams fighting her, that score will have to wait." Coco and the rest of team CFVY looked incredulous at my rebuke.

'_C'mon Kouzai, no need to get protective on us. My team and I had the edge over Cinder before-_'

"Before she dropped half a building on you all. One that I happened to be in." I finished, and CFVY winced in unison. "Don't get me wrong, I have faith that the four of you might have what it takes to bring her down in the end. But with how dangerously she fights, and desperately she lashes out, what it'd cost is more than I'm willing to risk at this point in time. That's why even if everyone has the recommended numbers to fight her, I'm suggesting that someone contacts Beacon and warns Ozpin or Goodwitch…maybe just Ozpin."

"Uhh, Kouzai? Isn't the whole point of us holing up in this less-than-spacious room instead of Beacon so that we can run this mission _without_ Beacon getting involved?"

"I'm not really sure how to say this, but you all will be fighting a drove of White Fang soldiers, a Paladin, and potentially two members of Cinder's group including Cinder herself. Trust me, Beacon will be getting involved one way or another." I smiled crookedly. "The point of us planning here is to make sure Beacon won't catch wind of what we're up to _before_ we get the mission started. After though?...Well, it's better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission."

"Hear hear!" Nora cheered, before looking over at an exasperated Ren and I and shrugging.

"There's another thing with Cinder before we get to the Paladin specifically." I was slightly hesitant to drop this information to the assembled group, but if Cinder planned on pulling out the big guns anytime soon, it was necessary in order to save their collective asses. "I'm sure you've noticed or heard by now that one of Cinder's arms isn't exactly normal."

"If by 'isn't normal' you mean extremely durable, lacking joints, capable of extension, clawed, and overall Grimm appearance…" Velvet trailed off and blushed as I stared at her, along with the rest of the room.

"Thank you for that. Yes, Cinder's arm is most definitely not human and more than likely Grimm. What that means exactly, I'm not sure, but what I _do_ know is that it has some other unpleasant powers that come with it." I swallowed, despite myself. "One of them, is that it gives her the ability to drain life like the Apathy. If you extrapolate that to a certain degree, that absorption might extend to things like Aura."

The room fell silent at that, but not before experiencing a collective shudder. Jaune was the first to stomach the implications of that, and come to the question that I'd hoped I wouldn't have to answer. "Kouzai…how exactly did you find out about this ability of Cinder's?"

"I…was informed about this particular skill by Cinder herself while captured. She had some questions that she wanted answered, and saw fit to explain that failing to answer them voluntarily would force her to use some more…painful methods. Luckily that didn't become necessary since you all rode in like the cavalry before…guys?" I paused as the room had become deathly still, and fifteen pairs of eyes were focused solely on me.

Then a wave of sheer rage and bloodlust poured out from my friends, so much so that I instinctively tensed and readied myself for a fight if they'd all gone insane.

"That…_bitch_…I'm going to render both her arms useless for even suggesting such a thing happen to you," Velvet seethed, her Faunus ears folding down and back.

"You can have her arms. I'm getting both her legs," Nora toned darkly, and it was telling that none of JNPR saw fit to rebuke her.

"No way my team and I let this slide now. We'll chase these scum to the ends of Remnant if we have to." Sun cracked his knuckles, each pop echoing impossibly loud in the room.

'Well, this is spiraling horrifically fast…' I slapped my hand down on the table. "Don't forget what the priority here is; giant death robot and tons of White Fang first, Cinder later. And if Cinder pulls out any freaky Grimm abilities beyond being tough and stretching her arm out, you all retreat and contact Beacon and I. The industrial district of Vale is not the time or place to settle grudges. Are we clear on that?"

Everyone else gave various levels of grumbled assent, and I internally sighed in relief before looking over to Ilia. My partner rolled her eyes before we swapped positions. "Now that the broad strokes are out of the way, let's brief everyone on what to expect out of the Paladin."

The holo-image of the Paladin appeared and Ilia began pointing to various sections of the battlesuit. "The schematics for the Paladin show that it possesses triple-layered plating, laser sights, cutting-edge servos, rocket launchers and mounted guns capable of firing Dust ammunition of nearly every type." Ilia paused to let that list sink in. "This one machine on its own is capable of taking on multiple groups of Grimm. If left unchecked, it can easily level multiple city blocks. Official reports by the Atlesian military have it listed as an anti-personnel, anti-armor, anti-ship and anti-air unit."

"Just for reference, is there anything that this thing _isn't_ equipped to handle?" Scarlet questioned.

"Space." I deadpanned. "And Pyrrha."

"Kouzai!"

Ilia nodded. "It's true that Pyrrha's Semblance would be the quickest way to bring the Paladin down, but we don't think Cinder will allow such an oversight after her performance at the docks. We should expect the Paladin on display at the rally to be modified for against Huntsmen, and likely Pyrrha in particular."

Jaune rubbed a pouting Pyrrha's shoulder. "Look at it this way; your opponents are so cautious of your abilities that they're making contingencies specifically around you. Isn't that a good thing?"

"We need to redefine what 'good' means for you, Jaune." Despite her remark, Pyrrha actually did look a little happier at the praise.

"So now that we've laid out what the general parameters of the Paladin are, does anyone have any glaring flaws or strategies they'd like to bring to the table? Literally." Ilia and I looked around, and it seemed like the leaders of the other teams were deep in thought. At the moment though, there wasn't-

"Yeah, I've got a couple ideas that might work." Sun, along with most of the room, whipped his head to the side as Neptune was squinting at the screen, until he caught onto the general silence. "W-what? I just have experience with energy-based weapons thanks to putting Tri-Hard together, so it wouldn't be too hard to-why's everyone laughing?"

'_Please tell me that you didn't name your own weapon "Tri-Hard", or I might die of laughter._' Fox snickered, while Nora, Sage and Scarlet were laughing full-on in the face of a blushing Neptune.

"Damnit Sun, I knew I shouldn't have trusted you when you had a suggestion for the name!" Neptune hissed, and his leader finally couldn't contain his mirth any longer.

"Sorry Nep, but even you admitted that it fits. Maybe you-snrk-subconsciously agree with the assessment."

"Hate you…"

"Children. I work with children…" I parroted. "Alright, let's bring it back in. So Neptune's got some ideas, and our esteemed leaders seem to be working on the strategic side of things. Does anyone else have anything that pops out to them?"

"Depending on its reliance of Hard-Light Dust, there are a few weaknesses on that Dust type that could be taken advantage of," Velvet replied, and I nodded in deference to her expertise with Anisedora.

"Ooh ooh! If it uses Dust, we can kill it…" Nora added gleefully, and everyone but JNPR and I instinctively shuffled away out of self-preservation.

"Ok, it looks like we've got some things to work with. Who wants to go first?"

As the rest discussed amongst themselves for a moment, Ilia turned to me. "You know, I didn't think they'd be so satisfied with you not offering up your own ideas just yet."

"Why Ilia, are you implying that I was bluffing on having a plan? I'm hurt." I put a hand to my chest in mock outrage, though my partner wasn't having any of it and I dropped the act. "You could say that I'm applying the fine art of delegation, and giving the responsibility of planning to people smarter than me."

"That's not what delegation means, and you know it."

"Hah, let a man have his fun…"

… … …

"My head…so much knowledge…"

"Behold, ladies and gentlemen, our illustrious leader…" Scarlet jabbed as Sage quietly guided a moaning Sun off the Bullhead. Nora pretty much picked up all of JNPR and zoomed off towards the cafeteria.

"I'll never get how that half-pint manages to be so strong…" Coco muttered as everyone else disembarked. I made a show of taking off my shades just to look at her until she noticed. "What?"

"Coco, you literally carry a massive gatling gun that somehow mecha-shifts into a handbag, that you _swing like a handbag to bludgeon Grimm to death_."

"I fail to see your point." Coco stuck to her guns and played dumb for a moment. "You know, I'm actually kind of glad that all of this is happening. Not the 'White Fang about to attack Vale with a military battlesuit' part, but rather the chance to help out."

"What do you mean?"

"Right, you wouldn't exactly be too cognizant of upcoming events. The short of it is that students beginning from second-year start going out on missions during the semester, and ours has one coming up pretty quickly. Helping out in this op will probably be one of the last things we get to before we ship out, so it's fortunate that we can do our part for our cute little first-years."

"I'm assuming that you're referring to one first-year in particular?" I asked dryly. 'I nearly forgot about CFVY's mission, and that it didn't exactly end well. I'll need to give them some advice before they head out.'

"Damn right. Speaking of upcoming events though, depending on how long we'll be gone, there's a chance we might not make it back for the Beacon Dance. Thankfully, Vel and I always knew that was a possibility so we made sure to plan things out with plenty of guidelines." Coco made a show of eyeing me up and down. "Sooo, if you don't have too much on your plate-"

"Coco, I'm not taking over planning for the Beacon Dance. What on Remnant would possess you to think that I'd be good at planning giant social gatherings?"

"Yeah, that's fair. Honestly, I was expecting to hand things over to team RWBY anyways."

"See, now that's something dictated by common sense. Gods knows Weiss has planned a number of these herself, and I'd eat Luna if Yang isn't capable of throwing a party. Plus, it should give them enough to do that they won't be enticed to do anything stupidly reckless."

"On that, we're in agreement. Though, this is all hypothetical, considering that the four of us will be hauling ass trying to make it back in time for the dance." I glanced at her quizzically, and Coco laughed. "C'mon, you think we'd miss out on something like this, even if we've been to one before? There's nothing that'll keep us from heading to the dance with our dates, and I'd like to see the Grimm that'll try. Not to mention, the pre-dance drama and awkwardness can't be beat."

"You know that very drama includes yourself as well, unless you've already gotten a confirmation from your intended date?"

"When Coco Adel sets her sights on someone, she'll get them. I'm sure the same will go for you, if you ever manage to get a handle of the who." Coco socked me in the shoulder, none too gently, before sauntering off with a wave. "Don't take too long on that, otherwise you might really end up dead."

"Does everyone always have to be so damn cryptic?" I rubbed my shoulder. "Then again, I'm very much at fault of doing the same, but still, it's part of my character! The same can't be said for them!"

"And how would you consider me, Mr. Higure?" I whirled around to see the Ozpin approaching, with both cane and mug in hand.

I recomposed myself and grinned. "Professor, it should go without saying that you're possibly the most enigmatic person I've ever met. For example, for what purpose would the headmaster be strolling around by the airfield around dinnertime?"

"Why Mr. Higure, I'd say you were insinuating that I was waiting for your arrival." Ozpin smiled, before taking a sip from his mug. "You are indeed correct, however. There was a matter that I wished to receive your insight on, and I found myself sorely lacking the requisite exercise to keep these old bones in shape, and so a decision was made to take a walk on Beacon's grounds."

"Why am I not surprised?" I muttered, drawing a laugh from Ozpin. "You have my attention Professor, though I hope you don't mind if we have this chat while making our way back, because at least one of us requires food."

"Very well." We both set off down Beacon's main walkway, and I resolved myself to let Ozpin speak first. I didn't have to wait long. "It has occurred to me that the spar between teams RWBY and KMMI was held for a reason other than natural curiosity. One might be forgiven for believing that the stakes were over things like individuals favors, but the discontent on some of their faces suggests otherwise."

I considered what I'd say carefully, knowing that Ozpin expected no less. "In so many words, the spar was held to prevent team RWBY from engaging in conduct that would be considered unsafe for huntresses-in-training."

"Hmm, it is true that Vale holds considerably more danger as of late than in the past. However, if memory serves, I recall certain incidents making their way to may desk wherein teenagers acted to protect others, even before becoming students. Tell me, what would you consider the difference between the two to be?" Ozpin's eyes twinkled in amusement behind his glasses.

Luckily, I already had an answer ready. "The differences lie in individual importance and promises made, I'd say. Two of team RWBY are relatives of important huntsmen and professors in Vale, along with one of your own aides. Those same two are also under the protection of a poor soul who made a promise to look after them. Another is the heiress to Remnant's most powerful corporation. And the last is by most political and legal definitions the princess for the unofficial kingdom of Faunus." Thank you RoosterTeeth, for following the cliché of making the main characters important.

"Somehow, it does not surprise me that you are aware of Ms. Belladonna's identity. Why is that?"

"Professor, when the individual in question retains the same surname, hair color, eye color, Faunus trait and general appearance of the ruling couple of Menagerie, that sort of thing tends to stand out. If there were more of an effort behind wrapping a bow around their head, perhaps all might be forgiven, but well…" I glanced sideways at Ozpin. "But this kind of motivation and information is easy to parse out for someone such as yourself. This wouldn't require my insight."

"Quite. I suppose you can think of it as the amusements of an old man such as myself. If you prefer, we can move on to more pertinent matters." Ozpin met my eyes, and the smile behind his morphed into curiosity. "Tell me, what do you think about redemption?"

I made no efforts to hide my confusion. "As in regards to a certain person, or on the concept as a whole?"

"Whichever you prefer."

I slowed down, really pouring my thoughts into the conversation. My opinions, Ozpin's opinions, Ozpin's intentions… "I guess my thoughts on the subject as a whole are that the opportunity should be available to everyone. I'm not certain of the religious connotations that come with the word, but I think that everyone should get a second chance."

"I see…and what would you think if you knew an individual who had received such an opportunity and squandered it, becoming wholly irredeemable in the process. Subsequently, another comes along exactly like the first, and now asks of you that opportunity. Would that hand be extended, knowing full well that the same sins might be committed once more, this time with your knowledge?"

"I…I believe that it's not really our place to judge one's actions based on how similar they are to another. Sure, there's the argument on having similar personalities and genetics and environment and such, but I don't think the door should ever be shut to people who seek it." I looked over at Ozpin, and blinked again at how _old_ the Wizard seemed to look at my response.

"How succinct of you…Thank you for indulging me. I profess to personally being of the belief that those who do not learn from history, are doomed to repeat it. However, perhaps that may be due not to my years of knowledge over that of the youth, but instead because I am a man burned too many times to look upon humanity with innocence."

"Respectfully, I don't think that's the case, sir." Ozpin's thousand-yard stare drew back to look over. I felt the full weight of centuries of judgement weighing down, but I pressed on. "More learned or not, more tormented or not, I think we're all people in the end, no more and no less. Those that think that they're above others should be taken down a peg, and by the same token, those that believe themselves lesser than the rest should be given the care to realize that they're not. It's like a quote that I heard from someone years back; 'the world is a fine place and worth fighting for.'"

Ozpin fell silent, and for a minute, the only sounds were of the trees nearby and Ozpin's cane tapping against the ground. Then, near-imperceptibly, there was less force in the taps, less pressure on the cane, less of a reliance as the immortal slowly took a sip of his cocoa. "Hauntingly wise words, Mr. Higure. I would do well to remember them for times when the outlook seems quite less than ideal."

"Well, I think you need to give yourself more credit, Professor. After all, I'm sure I'm just a few more lectures with Port or a few more spars with Vernal from switching my tune." I grinned cheekily at the headmaster, and though his mouth was partially obscured behind the mug, I could tell he smiled back.

All too soon though, that smile turned into a smirk. "I suppose I should inform General Ironwood and Ms. Polendina of the changes to the upcoming dance then."

I frowned. "Are there any changes that need to be made involving General Ironwood?"

"Not explicitly, but my long friendship with James has taught me that he will react quite defensively to my decision."

I was growing more anxious by the second. "And that is…?"

"I will be making accommodations so that Mercury Black may attend the Beacon Dance."

"…_what_."

"Ms. Polendina made the request to bring him along, and I have accepted. Oh, supervising him will also be partially your responsibility."

"_WHAT_?!"

… … …

… … …

Raven could not fathom why her daughter would ever voluntarily frequent this excess of booze and raging hormones. If it weren't for the fact that this _club_ acted as a laundering front for a much more profitable enterprise, never in her natural life would she step foot within its premises. However, needs must in this case.

Within a minute of her entering the modified warehouse and finding the stained countertop, the individual that she sought was striding out from a back office somewhere.

"Junior Xiong. I am here to answer your message. I also have need of your services." No point in pleasantries or acting dumb as to each others' identities. The naked apprehension in the lumbering boss' eyes told her enough.

"Raven Branwen. Can't say I ever expected someone like yourself to stroll into my place. Then again, your brother used to make this counter his third or fourth bed in Vale, so I suppose things change. I'm assuming you're not here for my famous Strawberry Sunrise?"

"I would be shocked if anyone truly enjoyed that toxic synthetic combination you call a cocktail."

"Tell that to your daughter…" Junior muttered, before balking as Raven's crimson eyes narrowed. "Er-I mean, I'm always happy to provide my expertise as an information dealer to esteemed individuals."

"First, give me the message you claimed you had. And if I determine that it was made threateningly with your knowledge…" Omen clicked open softly.

"Right right…" Junior tugged at his collar slightly, before sliding a folded slip of paper across the countertop. Raven pressed her fingers down in such a way that both paper and Junior's hand were trapped underneath.

"Wonderful. Now, the information I seek from you is the sender. Don't worry, I'll pay you appropriately. If the contents of the message are subpar though, well…"

"T-The sender is…uhh…well…"

"_Hei_."

Junior took a deep breath and looked her in the eye. "The Specter sent it."

Raven froze for a split second, before her hand wrenched Junior's off the paper and unfolded it for her disbelieving eyes to read.

_Raven Branwen_

_I know your secret_

_Here, a week from now_

_It's time that we meet_

**A/N: And here's the tee up for what should be a **_**very**_** interesting series of encounters. The anticipation almost makes me want to get writing right away, but alas, I've got a slew of finals to brave. Reminder that there won't be an update on 8/11, but I'll aim to crank out a chonker of a chapter for 8/18 or 8/25. Now for reviews.**

**Fuyuki365: Prim is always a fun character to write for, as envisioning the characteristics of such an entity is an exercise in philosophy and psychology. Gods knows that Prim gets some modicum of enjoyment out of screwing with Kouzai, but he's not quite on the level of a universal misery magnet, otherwise Qrow would become obsolete, haha.**

**AlexFalTon: At this point, the importance of events are in the midst of exponentially increasing, to the point where Kouzai isn't going to be taking much for granted when it comes to his plans. Sun and CFVY are good friends, but he acknowledges that they have their own principles at times that may set them apart from RWBY or JNPR. JNPR are most definitely thick as thieves, but even having watched them grow and become stronger, Kouzai forgets the impact that being in someone's life can have on a person's observations of them.**

**Gizmo Gear: Given the nature of his placement on Remnant, and the vagueness of a certain deity, Kouzai isn't exactly sure what age he started out as, and there aren't any birth certificates around on that front. Going off a rough estimate based on his theory of the space/time travel, he'd be roughly in his low to mid 20's. However, when considering his physical age, mental age, spiritual age and everything else, it's quite the clusterfuck to sort through.**

**Zeromk7: Well, thanks for compliment, and I'm always glad that there are those that gave this story a chance, and second chance in your case. As always, I welcome any comments or questions others have and attempt to take things into account. As for Kouzai and any potential crushes, rest assured that the romance aspect will be given its due time, and the foundation of which has been laid.**

**Blueassassin996: The Relics most assuredly have not been forgotten by Kouzai, but it's no stretch of the imagination to say that he'd either need to in possession of one of Remnant's most elite forces, or be one of Remnant's best bullshitters to get the necessary access, force or window to claim a Relic and live to tell about it.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 08/18/20**


	48. Chapter 45: To Catch a Thief

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: By the gods, I feel like it's been an age since the last chapter. Between family visits, finals and general 2020 fuckery, I've gotten a lot more practice at staying on one's toes. Thankfully though, I have the short reprieve before the fall semester begins at the end of the month. Come next week though, it'll also be the one-year mark for this story, so I hope the readers are looking forward to that. Gods knows I am.**

Chapter 45: To Catch a Thieft

Chapter Date: 08/18/20

"I want it on the record that I do not approve this part of the plan."

"HA! Told you guys he'd spout off his reservations right before the mission starts! Pay up!"

"Nora, most of them are stationed away from us, and breaking cover to pay you wouldn't be very conducive to the stealth part of the mission."

"Welp, you heard the man, guess we'll just be waiving any and all payouts-"

"_Skip out on paying, and I'll explode your dorm room_."

"-Until we're back at Beacon, that is. Haha…"

"Your concern is noted, Kouzai. Please stay on the line, your opinion is very important to us."

"Asshole…fine, I'll be leaving things in your hands then. Other matters will likely have me occupied later, so I'll just say it now; watch each other's backs, don't take unnecessary risks, and keep the property damage to a minimum, or Goodwitch will give everyone detention till we're in our graves." At that, Kouzai's name disappeared from the group scroll call, leaving Sun to snicker before throwing a look at his temporary companion .

"Was it really necessary to antagonize him right before he had to leave?" Velvet asked off the scroll call, and Sun, perceptive bastard that he was, picked up on the concern she had for Kouzai before he muted himself for a moment as well.

"It's fine, Velvet. I don't know if anyone's told you, but Kouzai's pessimism is almost a ritual at this point for those who've known him for a while. The more dangerous the plan, the more likely he'd up and get all paranoid about it, leaving the rest of us to bring him back. I'll tell ya though, if we didn't know he had good intentions and weren't as confident in ourselves, that kind of doubt could strike a blow to morale." A little flop from one of Velvet's ears as her head tilted to the side, and Sun locked his hands behind his head, staring up into the night. "Some people might take offense if the plan, and their own role in it, was questioned, see it as a lack of faith. But Kouzai, he doesn't do it to show a lack of faith, but instead try to give people an out if they need or want it. He'd rather make a plan where the pressure's only on him, since he'll force himself to succeed if it means making things easier for everyone else."

Velvet's ears curled forward. "I…hadn't thought of it like that. That seems like such a stressful method of achieving results though."

Sun nodded. "It wasn't until I had guys of my own to lead that I really got where he was coming from. But now that I do, it's all the more clear that he can trust in our to get things done. He'll sleep easier for it, and we'll sleep easier knowing he is."

Velvet smiled, and punched Sun in the shoulder. "You're a good friend, Sun."

"AH-and you're a _very_ strong huntress, hssss!" Sun hopped a little and clutched his shoulder, as Velvet gasped with her hands in front of her mouth.

"I'm sorry! I do this with the rest of my team, so I thought it was normal." Sun laughed good-naturedly in response.

"No problem. Remind me to get your team's workout plan later though, because what you just said has some terrifying implications. Before that though, we've got a rally to crash."

Velvet gestured to the side with her arms swept out. "After you then."

"Wait, isn't the lady supposed to go-oh, haha, very funny."

… … …

I shook my head at Sun's antics as I left the group call, before facing my teammates resignedly. "Alright, with that out of the way, guess we're up to bat now. Is everyone clear on what we're doing?"

"_What_ we're doing, yes. _Why_? Not in the slightest." Melanie muttered.

"Well, if what I'm thinking will happen happens, then you'll now," I replied cheerfully, taking some of Sun's frustrating cheer and channeling it down the line. "In the meantime, I'll be taking Ruby up to the CCT to put in a call to someone that she very much wants to meet. As for the rest of you…"

Ilia rolled her eyes and took the hint. "I'm apparently going to be hanging out with Blake in the library, and surely not keeping Blake from interfering in the mission."

"I have to have hand-to-hand practice with Xiao Long of all people, and have no idea why unless it's so that I get my ass kicked!" Melanie snarled at me, and I shrugged before turning to Miltia.

"And I will have the enjoyment of monitoring contact with Junior from our room, and apparently being the only person among our team doing something related to the mission." Miltia sighed. "Also suspicious is that I'm not hanging out with the last member of RWBY for some whatever contrived reason."

"Because Weiss has a scheduled call with Winter during this time, and Vacuo will freeze over before she ditches that. Also, of the four of them, Weiss is the one I trust most to honor an agreement." My teammates nodded grudgingly at my reasoning. 'Also, it's probably a good idea to have people in both our rooms _just in case_.'

"Reasoning aside, I've still got a sparring session with a monstrous powerhouse coming up. You owe me big for this, Higure." Melanie warned darkly as she swept up from her bed and made for the door.

"How about I set you up with Fox for the school dance, and we call it even, hmm?" I teased as the white-clad twin froze by the door. "Or would you like to go about doing the legwork yourself?"

"…Sonofagrimm…" Melanie flipped me off and zipped out of the room, as the rest of us shared a laugh.

"What about you two? Ilia, there anyone you have your eye on whose name doesn't rhyme with Drake?" I asked, catching a red-eyed glare Ilia. After a moment though, my partner's freckles turned pink as she looked away. "Oh, so there is someone? Anyone I know. Wait, just tell me it isn't me."

"Barking up the wrong tree, Kouzai," Ilia muttered gruffly, arms crossed and facing the wall.

"Hmm…" Miltia gazed at the Faunus from her bed, chin resting on her palm before a twinkle appeared in her eye. "Oh! Do you have a crush on-"

Ilia's hand smacked over Miltia's mouth at lightning speed as my partner leaned in to eye Miltia. "Say another word, and I will make you and Yatsuhashi getting together an awkward hell."

"It kind of already is, but with a reaction like that, you've got me curious now." I carefully peeled Ilia's hand off Miltia's mouth, as both girls switched from glaring at each other to glaring at me. "And on that note, Ilia and I should get going before we end up making things worse for ourselves and each other. Vamanos!"

As we exited our room, Ilia spoke before I even had the chance to open my mouth. "I know you're about to ask who, and I promise you that you will find out eventually. Ask me who before I tell you though, and I assure you that I will make you _suffer_ in the weeks leading up the Beacon Dance."

"Well, that's not ominous." I gulped, noting Ilia's extensive espionage and terrorist skillset. "You only prevented me from asking who, but not anything about them, so one of these days is gonna be twenty questions."

Ilia cracked a smile at that, though it soon turned malicious. "You should spend a bit more effort on your own situation soon, or my intervention won't even be needed for you to suffer."

"Why does everyone keep telling me that?" We arrived at RWBY's dorm room and knocked. After a minute, the door opened and amber eyes peered out with more than a hint of annoyance.

"Hello Kouzai. I'm glad to see that your team's superior skills are being well-used to help the plight of-"

Blake's passive-aggressive rant was cut off as a red blur zoomed out the door and grabbed my hand.

"Sorryblakecan'tstoptotalkkouzaiandIhavetogoseeoneofhisoldfriendswhosereallycooooool…" I preemptively channeled my Aura in case of any sudden jerks or collisions, but it seemed that Ruby had a handle on pulling people along with her Semblance, though not quite turning us both to petals with it. Within a minute, I was unceremoniously dropped to the ground right outside the CCT as Ruby hopped around with hands bunched in front of her face like a ra-

'And I'm going to stop that train of thought right now.' I climbed to my feet, rotating my shoulder to make sure the thing wasn't dislocated, before taking another glance at super-Ruby. 'With this level of pep, she'll get on Weylin's nerves like only Nora can…I'm gonna owe the man a fat bar of orichalchum after this, aren't I?'

… … …

"Look's like things are picking up inside. Fox, send out role call to the pairs."

"You know, as our group's all-important Aura sensor, we should probably be a bit more conservative with my proverbial battery."

"Can't help it this time. With this many people we need to keep contact, and there's no way of knowing whether the other side has tech to jam or hack a scroll call." Coco clenched Gianduja's handle just a little tighter. "It's damn frustrating going up against people _this_ convoluted and prepared."

"Wow, it's almost like we're on an _unsanctioned mission with no resources from Beacon_. It's hard to believe-y'know, on second thought, let's just send that message out…" Fox laughed weakly as Coco slowly lowered Gianduja's handbag form. '_All pairs, have someone confirm your status._'

'_This is Yatsuhashi. Neptune and I are awaiting for confirmation of the Paladin and Cinder's appearance._'

'_Pyrrha and I are stationed nearby and ready for any commotion. Oh, and this is Jaune._'

'_Ren checking in. Nora and I are prepared to inflict maximum damage to the Paladin upon confirmation of a safety zone._'

'_Scarlet here. Sage and I are still on the rooftops keeping track of the White Fang guards on the roof. Also, can I mention how convenient it is to have a Semblance like Telepathy?_'

'_Scarlet, you literally never have to worry about fall damage so long as you have Aura. Anyways, stay tuned in case there's anything._' Fox switched lines of thought over to the last duo. '_Velvet, Sun, are there any issues inside?_'

'_We're alright, Fox. The rally has started, and Sun and I are trying to keep an eye out for anyone recognizable in the crowd. We haven't found anyone yet, but the large covered package up on the stage is almost certainly the Paladin, so-_' Velvet's tone grew sharper. 'She's_ here, standing to the side of the stage._'

Fox needed no clarification on who Velvet was referring to and sent out another telepathic message. '_Alright fresh meat, look alive, we've got ourselves a Queen Bitch. Now all we need is eyes on the Paladin, and we can-_'

'_Wait, does Velvet not see them-OH SHIT!_' An audible bang rang out from the warehouse, and Sun sent a message back. '_That green-haired assassin chick is here, and nearly chopped Velvet's head off! Faunus and the Fang are scrambling, we need backup _now_!_'

"Damnit, of all the people Cinder could've brought, it's that illusions user." Coco swore just for good measure as she dialed up VPD. "Let's move, partner."

Coco and Fox raced the few rooftops over to the warehouse, where Scarlet and Sage had already landed and dispatched the White Fang on the roof. Coco glanced down below, where throngs of Faunus were stampeding every which way while the actual White Fang present tried to get a grasp on the situation. Cinder Fall looked ready to rumble, and that Emerald, where was she?

Time for snap decisions then. "Scarlet, Sage, meet up with the rest of your team and focus on the White Fang in the warehouse. After you four are done, hightail it out."

"Um, are you quite sure-"

"Look, if any of us at Beacon get flak from the cops for what happens, Ozpin'll be able to write it off as overexcited students. But a group of visiting students from Mistral, one of whom is a Faunus? That could easily spin into an international incident if we're not careful. So get in, mop up the mess, and get out."

"Yes ma'am." Scarlet nearly saluted, before the four of them jumped down to the warehouse ground where Velvet and Sun were already waiting. "Let's go leader, we have 'holier-than-thou' skulls to crack."

As SSSN dispersed to deal with the White Fang, Fox tensed. '_Bad news; Cinder's seems pretty content with sticking around for the time being, but Emerald has taken residence in the Paladin._'

"What?! Does she even know how to pilot that thing?" With a great groaning and hiss, the Paladin began to move. "Guess that answers that…"

'_With two teams available, we can only send one after each threat. But we're the only team with Aura sensing, and with Emerald at the helm of that Paladin…_' the implication went unsaid.

'_Damnit Fox! Cinder probably planned this too, so that we'd either have to hope the rest can handle Emerald in a Paladin, or give up punching her in the face._' Hard eyes glared from behind her shades, but Coco made up her mind. "If we let people get hurt from that Paladin on our watch, I'd never hear the end of it from Kouzai. But that doesn't mean Cinder's getting off scot-free though! Fox, sic Vomit Boy's team on her!"

"Whoopee, guess we get to fight the giant robot then…" Despite his tone, Fox grinned and readied Sharp Retribution as he sent the order out to the rest.

… … …

"Uhh, Kouzai?"

"Yes, Ruby?"

"Is there any reason that you had us both bring our weapons to the CCT?" As per usual, Ruby managed to hit the exact nail that I wished she hadn't, requiring me to dig into my endless bag of bullshit.

"Well, I figured that if you were going to hop in on a once-in-a-lifetime call with Weylin, you'd probably want to show off your Crescent Rose to him or something…" I trailed off as Ruby stopped in place. "Did I have it back-"

"OH MY GODS! You think that Weylin the Smith might be interested in _my_ designs!?" The pure hope radiating off my fellow team leader was creating a small nugget of guilt at the ulterior motive-

"But wait…why are you bringing your weapons too then?" Aaaand the guilt was gone.

"Well, since Weylin is the one who made most of my weapons, I thought it might be useful for him to give them a glance-over while we're on the call, and see if there are any glaring maintenance issues that I overlooked." I decided to lay on an extra helping of hoopla. "Besides, considering that we're at a huntsmen academy, shouldn't carrying your weapons around be normal?"

"That's what I told my team!" Ruby protested, before crossing her arms. "But Yang told me that I can't carry my baby everywhere, and Weiss kept nagging me about decorum and stuff…Blake is the only one who agreed with me, but, well…"

"Blake is not the biggest purveyor of common sense." I finished dryly, which elicited a giggle from Ruby. "Alright, let's get up there and make the call. Given the time difference between here and Mistral, we've likely got a pretty short window to work with before Weylin starts hitting the forge."

As we entered the CCT, I took a moment to take in the second of the four towers around Remnant. 'Maybe I'll get to see the ones in Atlas and Vacuo, complete the set…though, if I end up in either of the two places, something's either gone very right or very, very wrong…' I shook my head free of that train of thought, before leading Ruby over to one of the monitors to make the call.

"Okay, so in the fair interest of not shattering your hopes and dreams, I have to warn you that Weylin can be a bit…short-tempered at times." Among other things. "So don't get yourself down if this first call isn't everything you think it's cracked up-"

"_First_ call? You mean I can have more than one!?" Ruby was jumping in place so fast she was a hair away from activating Petal Burst, and I _still_ wasn't sure if the petals faded away over time.

"You know what, we can talk about that later. For now, I've got a cantankerous blacksmith to contact." Sending the scroll call out, Ruby and I waited as the signals connected with one another before a bald head with a magnificent white beard appeared.

"For Gods' sakes brat, can't you lot leave a man alone to-where's this? And who's the one next to you?" I couldn't help but laugh at Weylin's bewildered face, taking the opportunity to give Ruby a more central position in the screen.

"Hey old-timer. This is my friend Ruby, she's a team leader like me at Beacon. Among other things, she's a pretty talented huntress who made it in two years early. Not just that, she made her own weapon, and I think it's good enough to show off to you. Maybe even teach you a thing or two."

"Crazy-boy, you wouldn't know weapon-smithing if it kicked you in the balls." Weylin snarked, before eyeing Ruby and humming. "Still, a recommendation from you is usually worth its weight in mithril, so I guess it couldn't hurt. Whatcha got, missy?"

Ruby jolted, before launching into the affectionately termed 'word vomit' mode. "Hi Mister Weylin the Smith sir it's so awesomely cool to meet you I've researched and studied your works and techniques for so long while I was learning how to make weapons and I heard Kouzai was friends with you so I asked if I could talk with you and he said yes so here I am and here's my weapon Crescent Rose-" At which point she had just enough oxygen to deploy Crescent Rose before needing to pause for breath, the scythe's appearance also scaring the bejesus out of some of the civilians nearby.

Weylin wordlessly looked at Ruby, before turning to me. "Is there something about the lack of height that gives the girls that extra pep and speed? 'Cause I'm sensing a pattern here." I smirked and shrugged as Ruby started turning as red as her signature cloak, before Weylin began analyzing Crescent Rose in earnest. "Hmm…seems you didn't skimp out on parts for the mecha-shift…not too much pomp and extra gear…lemme get a look at the blade."

Ruby silently dipped Crescent Rose to give Weylin a look at the blade, and the old man's brow furrowed. "That pattern…you didn't make this with a hydraulic press, did you? You actually went with the folding and welding method?"

"Umm, well…I read that Mistral's weapons are nearly the most durable on Remnant, and everyone knows Vacuo is only first because of adamantium, so I thought that I should give Crescent Rose the best effort I had and go with the classic methods…" Now that her adrenaline had worn off, Ruby's socially tongue-tied nature was gradually reclaiming its dominant position, which meant that she also didn't notice the look on Weylin's face.

"…ha ha…HAHAHAHAHA!" Weylin's roaring laughter nearly bowled Ruby over, and caught the attention of some of the nearby callers. "Oh…you young ones just keep surprising me nowadays…it's been a long time since I've seen someone dedicated to the craft as you, and you're less than a quarter my age! Oi, brat, you should be taking notes from this one!"

"Not too closely though, or I'll have some overprotective family members to deal with," I muttered in reply, leaving Ruby blushing and Weylin guffawing as I realized I didn't speak quite softly enough. Before I could add anything else, a notification from Miltia caught my attention, and I fought to keep a straight face. "You'll have to give me a minute, I've got one of my teammates on the line."

"Take your time. And word to the wise, never introduce someone that's better at your job than you are! HAHAHA!" I walked out of the call center to the sound of Weylin's laughter, entering the stairwell before calling up Miltia.

"Hey Miltia, still at the CCT, is there anything you or the others need?" I worded things carefully just in case.

"Nothing for the moment, just wanted to let you know that Junior mentioned how busy things are downtown lately. There's no rush in the immediate future, but with all the commotion, he might need you to pick up a shift or two sometime." Thank gods Miltia was the more savvy of the twins.

"And I'm guessing you and your sister are still sitting pretty?" I jabbed.

Miltia giggled on the other end. "Perks of the boss kind of being your dad. Sucks to suck, I'm afraid."

"Yeah yeah, laugh it up, I'll remember that for when I'm thinking up new-" I paused as the door slammed open and people began throwing themselves down the steps. "Excuse me, can anyone tell me what's going on here!?"

"Two midgets are going at it in the call center!" was all the response I received in the panic, and I schooled my expression and began pushing my way through the crowd for the door.

"Miltia, stay where you are for now. If you don't hear back from me within ten minutes or so, round up the rest." I ended the call before Miltia could protest, and shoved myself back into the call center

The immediate thought was that there were _a lot_ of smoking and sparking monitors around. The second was the eyecatching sight of Ruby swinging Crescent Rose around like a demon, trying to land a hit on…

'Great, it's almost like from Dust till Dawn again.' I unsheathed Mirror's Edge and closed in, shutting my eyes momentarily as I chucked one longsword, before opening them to avoid banging into any furniture. The longsword streaked forward, going wide past Ruby's assailant and towards the space behind her, where with a sound of shattering glass, the blade was batted away as the intruder was revealed with a pout on her face.

"Hello again Neo. Fancy seeing you here."

… … …

SMASH

Jaune though that, perhaps, Coco had made an error in her judgement.

CRASH

While he agreed with the strategic distribution on paper…

BOOOM

He couldn't help but wonder if there was some difficulty in remaining objective here.

"_STAY STILL_!?" Nora swung Magnhild again with a vengeance, but Cinder ducked beneath the swing and grabbed Nora, throwing the powerhouse with her Grimm arm into the wall with a crash. That was all the leeway she had though, as Jaune and Ren pressed in on her from both sides. While Ren kept her Grimm arm occupied with a whirlwind of slashes and strikes, Jaune was trying his hardest to break though Cinder's guard and cut her down.

Coco's orders had been to keep Cinder occupied while SSSN subdued the White Fang while CFVY crushed the Paladin, but he hadn't exactly claimed that he was coolheaded about the situation. And her weapons were _freaking_ strong for being made out of glass!

Just as it looked like Ren was about to be overwhelmed and caught though, help was sent from above.

BANG

Literally from above, by the rifle of a goddess as Cinder's strike towards Ren was knocked into a different trajectory, spinning the villainess into the face of a shield bash by Jaune as Cinder was launched back, landing on her feet with a clink of glass.

"So, these are the best that Beacon has to offer. I wonder if that means that I will have the pleasure of facing you again once I have claimed what is rightfully mine." A burning red orb glared up at the railing where Pyrrha was perched.

"The only thing that's rightfully yours is a cell in prison!" Nora roared as she fired Magnhild, the grenade rushing towards Cinder. Cinder's eyes narrowed as she formed a wall of molten slag, the resulting explosion of which forced the three on the ground to cover as the area was enveloped in smoke. Within seconds though, the smoke ballooned outwards as the coal black arm streaked forward right for Ren. Ren forced Stormflower into the gaps between the clawed fingers, but the arm carried him forward and slammed him into the wall, stunning him before he was wrenched back to Cinder's side.

"Ah ah ah, let's not be hasty now. You wouldn't want anything unfortunate to happen to your friend, would you?" With her clawed hand wrapped around Ren's throat, the rest of JNPR watched as Ren's struggles slowed and his eyes became unfocused, though his breathing and color remained the same. "I'm capable of many things, and I can't be held responsible if a sudden attack startles into doing something…rash. Your friend seems to be quite willing to listen to me at the moment, don't you think?"

"Like hell it's of his own accord though." Jaune remembered what Kouzai had mentioned about Cinder's arm, and was kicking himself for not being more careful of it. Though he'd never seen the Apathy in action before, the very will seemed to be leaving Ren's body.

"_If you hurt a single cell on his body, you'll be replacing more limbs than you already have_." Nora flashed with bolts of lightning, High Voltage straining to unleash itself.

Cinder shrugged as she touched her ear. "That all depends on you now, I suppose. Now…give me an update…what?" Though Cinder didn't lower her guard, her expression turned downright monstrous. "How was she stopped?...More pawns…fine…I'll have words for her when I return…"

With Cinder's attention trained on the three of them, and the same in return, Jaune nearly didn't notice the slightly muted colors outlining Ren. Cinder's arm must've been sapping at his life and will…huh. It almost looked like…

Jaune nearly gave the game away as Ren turned imperceptibly to look at him, then down at Stormflower, then at Cinder's arm. Glancing to the sides, he saw that Pyrrha and Nora had spotted the same, and were waiting on Jaune's word.

Time to show off his acting chops then. Jaune sheathed Crocea Mors into the shield on his other arm, then held both hands up. "Alright, we're willing to listen. Tell us what you want. I warn you though, renege on your word with an Arc, and I'll _smite_ you."

Cinder smirked. "Big words for someone weak enough to have his teammates walk into-"

"RRRAAAAAAGH!" With a roar, Ren kicked off Cinder's body, breaking Cinder's grasp on his throat, before he jammed Stormflower into the Grimm hand and slammed the limb into the ground.

"WHAT?!" Cinder made to slash down at Ren with the other hand, but a bullet from Milo sent the blade off-course. Turning back, both of Cinder's eyes widened in time to see Jaune launch Nora off his shield towards their opponent, the hammer wielder sparking.

"NORRRRAAAAAA SMAAAAASH!" Magnhild collided with Cinder's immobilized arm, sending her rocketing through the wall. "That's for messing with my man."

"Eyes up. This isn't over." Jaune warned as the four readied their weapons again. The dust slowly settled as Cinder appeared, clutching her distorted and bent Grimm arm.

"_You_…You four…I will make sure to visit the worst of tortures on you for this…" JNPR surged forward, but watched as Cinder slammed her human hand into the wall and superheated it, causing to shower slag downwards before vanishing.

"Ohh, that's not good…" Jaune looked around as the building they were in began groaning. "Something tells me Kouzai's not gonna be happy about this…"

… … …

BOOOOOOOM

"Why are has this year been nothing but giant explosion! We're supposed to be huntsmen and huntresses, not cheesy action stars!"

"Depends on what you're fighting!"

"I was looking for Grimm, not _GIANT ROBOTS_!"

"OI, FOCUS!" Velvet leapt out of the way as more rockets rained down. A look around at the smoking craters had her very thankful they lured Emerald out of the rally warehouse and to a bulldozed lot.

"VELVET, ON YOUR LEFT!" Fox's shout came at the same time as Yatsu's entrance, as her partner picked her up and dove out of the way of a laser firing towards her. As the pair rolled upright, Velvet patted Yatsu on the head before dashing back into the fray.

As the Paladin wound up to smash an arm down, a hail of bullets pierced its flank as Coco went to town with Gianduja.

"I'm shredding through whatever nonmetal armor they swapped out, but this thing is a hell of a lot better at dishing it out than taking it!" Coco shouted over the din.

'_With Coco tearing into it's armor, I've gotta stick close by her to keep Emerald from using her illusions to turn Gianduja on us. Velv, Yatsu, you need to take out its lasers and rockets!_'

"Velvet, I can shield you as you make your approach to-"

"No, Yatsu. You're our big arm in this fight, so I'll protect you as we close in." Velvet grinned as she held up Anisedora. "I've got just the thing."

"Very well." With no further words, both of them ran for the Paladin as Emerald spotted them. As another volley of rockets shot out towards them, Yatsu fell behind Velvet as the telltale glimmer of Anisedora appeared to create a gauntlet on Velvet's hand. With a sweep reminiscent of their dear friend, the Hard-Light Dust barrier of Mortem sprang up, holding strong as the rockets impacted against its surface. From that cover, Yatsuhashi sprang off the ground towards the Paladin. As he sailed over the cockpit, he caught a glimpse of Emerald's shocked expression and couldn't help a smile from appearing as Fulcrum cleaved through the missile launchers. Landing, he turned to see back of the Paladin as the sparks it was giving off indicated more than a few malfunctions.

"Alright, if this keeps up Crop-top will blow herself up if she keeps using those malfunctioning mounted guns!" Coco paused as the guns retracted to make room for collapsible fists bigger than Yatsuhashi. "Ah Grimmshit…"

High-powered servos presented themselves as the Paladin barreled towards Coco and Fox, forcing them to opposite sides. Fox was the first up, and squinted around the battlefield.

"Coco! She's coming after you!" Time seemed to lag at his words, as Velvet watched in horror as the Paladin beared down on Fox with no indication of his notice.

"_Damnit_!" Coco blurred in front of her partner, shoving him back as she raised Gianduja to guard against the Paladin's punch. With a sound like thunder, the pavement was torn up as Coco struggled against the limb.

"Vel, Yatsu, Box Cutter!" Coco gritted out, and the duo sped in. As Yatsuhashi raised Fulcrum, Velvet activated Anisedora as Mirror's Edge appeared. Both partners leapt up, and two blades tore through the arms of the Paladin as they landed on the ground.

"Coco? What's-" Fox was wrenched off the ground as he took in the scene, before readying Sharp Retribution again. As the whole of CFVY prepared themselves, the Paladin careened towards them, except that it's cockpit contained no pilot.

"She's making a break for it! But…" Fox trailed off, looking in multiple directions before cocking his head. "Oh SHIT! The Paladin's rigged to blow in five!"

All of CFVY sprinted away from the Paladin as its jammed controls forced it ever closer. Velvet called out Mortem again. "Yatsuhashi, in front!"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

After what felt like minutes of agonizing ringing in her ears, Velvet blinked past the dots in her vision to see Mortem's cracked surface, with Fulcrum positioned to act as the bulwark. Around them, the lot was a wreckage of even more demolished debris, with enormous craters dotting nearly the entirety of the space.

Coco took off her shades. "Yeah…Kouzai's _definitely_ not gonna be happy about this…"

… … ...

For once, my predictions had actually turned out correct.

'After Torchwick and Adam were at the first White Fang rally, Cinder must've thought she needed to switch things up. Best for herself to oversee things to avoid any chance of screwing things up, and best to have loyal Emerald pilot the Paladin since Cinder needs the other two to maintain her grip on Vale's underworld. But where would that leave Neo?' And then I'd remembered. 'Without an infiltration of Beacon, there's no way of getting Watt's virus into the CCT, meaning it would have to be its own mission. Neo's already shown herself capable of sneaking into Beacon, so the rally would've been bait for this part of the plan. But if my whole team showed up to stop her, Cinder would have to think that someone's been feeding Beacon info at that point.'

And so, an excursion with one Ruby Rose came about. Speaking of which…"Ruby, what happened?"

Ruby, social ditz that she was, still possessed a warrior's spirit, keeping her eyes on Neo at all times. "Right after you left the room, I saw you come back and waved you over since Weylin wanted to speak to you. As soon as you came into view, Weylin and I noticed that there was something off about your weapons. When I asked, the illusion broke and Neo appeared to attack me."

"…So the only reason you and Weylin were able to see through Neo's illusion…was because of your mutual weapons obsession?"

"…Hey, it's not an obsession!" Ruby's focus wavered as she stomped her foot. "I'm a huntress, so this is normal!"

I shook my head amusedly, before glancing about the room to come up with a plan. "Ruby, there are still people trapped in the call center that need to escape. I can hold Neo while you get them out."

Ruby grasped Crescent Rose. "Are you sure? She's really tough."

I watched as Neo preened at the comment. "Somehow, I think I'll manage." And now I had the enforcer's attention. "Ruby, go."

The scythe wielder began clearing the area of civilians, and I made a show of dashing in with Mirror's Edge as the blade collided with Hush, giving me the excuse to lean in. "I know why Cinder sent you here, and you won't have time to get it done with us around, so cut your losses while she's distracted and get out of here."

Pink and brown eyes widened momentarily, before they narrowed while darting about the room. Neo twisted around and high-kicked towards my face, her heel coming within inches of my eye as I retreated. Separating Mirror's Edge, I started weaving a web of steel to mask the sound of my words to anyone not nearby. "If you think you have time to sneak somewhere else as a consolation prize, don't. There's people stationed in the library, sparring area and dorm rooms, not to mention everyone headed here now."

Neo's expression turned neutral as we choreographed our striking and dodging, before she turned to me with a smirk and winked…before headbutting me in the face and springboarding off my torso with a kick.

"Gahh!" I winced at my throbbing nose, catching sight of Neo standing by the elevator with a generic snarl on her face. That image shattered into a million pieces as Ruby raced up next to me, Crescent Rose still smoking.

"Kouzai, are you alright?! I got everyone out…but so many stairs…" Ruby panted as she caught her breath.

"I'm fine, but Neo slipped away while I was distracted," I grunted, channeling some of the pain I'd just experienced into genuine frustration. "And look at all the damaged terminals!"

"She might've gotten away, but the room can be fixed. What's important is that everyone was able to remain safe!" Ruby exclaimed cheerfully, and likely partially for my benefit.

"Yeah, that is true…" I turned away to look like I was surveying the room with a hand on my face, needing to cover the pleased grin from Ruby. 'The rally should be foiled, the Paladin should be scrap, and the CCT is still free of system-crashing software. I managed to stay ahead of Cinder's plan for once.'

I suddenly had the instinct to pinch my brow. 'Everything went right…so why am I getting the urge to smack some heads?'

**A/N: And so ends another round of combat, with some interesting results and revelations on both sides. Writing up a sizeable, action-filled chapter brings a bit of nostalgia of the Countdown Arc. With events like the Beacon Dance coming up though, I'm quite excited to delve into writing that. Now for reviews.**

**AlexFalTon: Glad to hear that you're enjoying the wonderfully unfortunate particulars of Kouzai's day-to-day, as it's an aspect of the writing that I very much enjoy as well. I also get that the ins and outs of combat as written may not be for everyone, but it's belief that the combat will get more interesting later on. There's no issue with the genre priorities though, since that's part of what Kouzai being at Beacon is about.**

**Kono Dio Brando Da: It's briefly mentioned during the Countdown Arc that Raven does have a bond with Kouzai for Kindred Link, which will indeed lead to some interesting things during the upcoming meeting between the two.**

**Gizmo Gear: Yup, having the first face-to-face conversation between the two in years should be quite engaging, especially given the intentional and unintentional buildup from Kouzai's end.**

**Thepowerfullkira: Hey, good hearing from you again. I am indeed aware that Vernal isn't a maiden, and that's something that Kouzai is aware of as well. What exactly that'll mean for the meeting with Raven will have to be seen though.**

**Ascandas: Greetings, new reader. Thanks for dropping in, and hope you like what you've read so far. Funnily enough, I actually hadn't played Nier: Automata at the time that I started this story, but have since played the game. I'd like to think that the influence of such has bled into the writing here and there. And Kouzai playing himself off as unaware is such an ingrained front that he puts up at this point that it usually takes others getting a faceful of canon-loaded truth bombs for them to catch on of otherwise. **

**Raidentensho: Well, Kouzai isn't even sure if he's playing the same game as Ozpin and Salem, but if he is, he'll need cheats and shortcuts of the highest caliber to avoid getting systemically wiped out.**

**Fuyuki365: Unfortunately, I haven't actually watched that anime as of yet, but I suppose it's going on the list so we'll see how soluble the content ends up being for the story.**

**Next Chapter Date: 08/26/20**

**-SE**


	49. Chapter 46 Lead A Horse To Water

A Cosmic Journey

**A/N: And here we are. 366 days since the first chapter. Hundreds of reviews, favorites and follows. Hundreds of thousands of words and views. When I started this story a year ago, only in my most unlikely considerations did I imagine this level of readership, commentary and support for this writing. I'm thankful for the readership of this fanfic, and proud of what has been produced so far. Rest assured though, things are far from over. With fall classes starting up for me soon, I'll have to think over what day of the week works best to update this story, so stay tuned.**

Chapter 46: Lead a Horse To Water

Chapter Date: 08/26/20

"So…this is a little awkward…"

'To the socially awkward.' I parroted in my head, before glancing next to me at Ruby. My fellow team leader was shuffling her feet, bunching her hands together, and eyeing everything in the room that _didn't_ matter at the moment.

Then again, that was likely exactly the appropriate reaction to our current circumstances.

"Dozens of completely obliterated CCT terminals. Hundreds of electrical issues. Approximately one million lien in repair costs. Scheduling a repair session. An upcoming press conference addressing the safety of our academy." Ozpin was looking out his window, and I swore I could see smoke rising up from sections of Vale. "Not to mention all the other events that have occurred this evening. Ms. Rose, Mr. Higure, I trust that you have a good explanation for the earlier commotion."

"We were fighting Neopolitan!" Ruby managed to squeak out, though her bout of courage died as Ozpin finally turned to face us.

I sighed. "Ruby and I were on a CCT call with an old friend of mine, and I stepped out for a moment to take a separate call. After coming back, I saw that Ruby was attempting to fight off Neopolitan, who'd somehow managed to sneak into Beacon Tower. I had Ruby evacuate everything trapped inside the room while holding Neo off, but Neo managed to get the drop on me and escape while Ruby was distracted with looking after me. Given our mutual fight record with the girl, I'm not exactly pleased with that last bit."

"Quite understandable, though your priorities were commendable in this particular endeavor." Ozpin placed both hands on his cane, and the warmth in his eyes bled out. "Had you both single-mindedly sought the defeat and capture of Neopolitan at the jeopardy of innocent civilians and students, extensive punishments would be the least of your concerns. Equipment and technology can be restored, but lives cannot."

Ruby eeped, while I was unable to resist tensing up under the absolutely ancient threat across from us.

Then Ozpin relaxed, and a kind smile appeared. "However, you both exhibited the character and conduct of huntsmen and huntresses on this night, and so there will be no such consequences for your actions tonight." Ruby and I let out an explosive sigh of relief at that one, while Ozpin continued. "Now, is there anything else either of you could tell me about the attack? Any information will be useful in briefing the public, finding a motive for the attack or even expediting the repair process later on."

I let Ruby take the lead on this one first, and the reaper didn't disappoint. "She definitely didn't need to place a call, that's for sure…come to think of it, I don't think I've even ever heard her talk…so if she wasn't here for the CCT, then was she here for a person." Silver eyes flashed over to me, and then at herself. "Was she here for one of us?"

My face was one of horror at the wrong logical conclusion, but apparently Ozpin took it as me believing Ruby. "Given that both of you have thrice encountered and fought her now, it's quite possible that either she or one of her cohorts wished to exact vengeance upon you, and sought you out." Ozpin's brows furrowed. "That being said, I am unsure of why she waited until you both were in a crowded location, in the middle of Beacon campus. Such behavior directly contradicts the method used to ambush Mr. Higure during his capture previously."

"Thanks for that, professor," I muttered, before acting like I had an epiphany. "What if Neo wasn't here for one of us, but for the CCT? As in, the whole system?" I gestured downward towards where the mentioned section was located, and Ozpin's eyes widened. "I don't know much about how the whole system works, but if Roman or Cinder or Adam managed to get access to it, there's probably a whole lot they could do with that, right?"

"Unparalleled damage would be well within the range of the spectrum, yes," Ozpin replied, his eyes lost in thought before they snapped back to Ruby and I. "It seems I must offer even greater gratitude for your actions tonight. I shudder to imagine the ramifications of their group having control of Remnant's communications. Rest assured, security will be increased significantly, both physical and virtual. I will have to converse with General Ironwood on some of the finer points."

The absence of a few key figures in the room stuck out to me. "Speaking of which, where is General Ironwood? Or Professor Goodwitch? I assumed both of them would've been very interested in hearing what happened? And don't even get me started on Qrow…then again, Ruby will probably call him with the story the first chance she gets."

"Hey!"

Ozpin chuckled. "Worry not, Ms. Rose. I will be sure to corroborate the extent of your heroics with Qrow should he inquire about them with me." I laughed as well as Ruby whined, before the smile fell away from Ozpin's face. "As for my colleagues, they are currently occupied with some other events happening within Vale proper at the moment. I am sure that news of such would have reached you had it not been for your own situation."

'Ah damnit, something tells me that Cinder and the White Fang did _not_ go quietly into the night…' I was going to need the rundown from the rest of them when they got back, but for now I'd settle for being away from the Wizard's eye and basking in the rays of victory. Clearing my throat, I said, "I'm glad to be a help, but everything is fine at this point, I wouldn't mind bedding down for the night. Neo has to be one of the toughest fighters I've ever had the displeasure of having to fight."

Ozpin's smile returned. "Oh? And whom might hold the title of your toughest opponent to date?"

There was no contest. "Raven."

"Ah, yes. I was informed of that particular interaction. I have since interpreted her sparing you and your friends to be some symbol of the good that she still holds within. That, and her admirable efforts to repair her relationship with her family."

"Right…" Ruby shuffled her feet, and it was no surprise that the topic must've been extremely awkward for the extremely awkward girl. What did surprise me though was that I'd never broached that particular topic with Ruby yet. With so many issues on the table though, not to mention that I'd probably be considered an outsider… "If you wouldn't mind professor, I'm also feeling a bit tired at this point…"

Ozpin straightened. "Of course. I apologize for my overzealousness. Both of you may leave, and I thank you both again for your efforts."

We both said our goodbyes, and entered one of the elevators before beginning to make the trip down. Inside the elevator, I had to try very hard not to think about what lay at the very bottom of the building, though it was comforting to know who wasn't there. Instead, I turned to Ruby. "How are you holding up? I know it probably wasn't exactly how you wanted to spend your evening."

"Nope. But I did get to talk with one of my idols, and I got to protect a bunch of people tonight, so I think it's okay in my book." Then Ruby groaned and pulled out her scroll. "Something tells me that my team won't see it that way. I put my scroll on silent before everything happened, but…yep, I've got a whole lot of messages and missed calls."

"That's why I just turned my scroll off. Can't feel guilty about what you can't see." I joked, before dodging the tiny fist thrown my way. "Rest assured though, I'll be catching a different kind of fresh hell from my team once I get back. At least I got to get a few words in with Weylin."

Ruby perked up. "Oh, that reminds me, he wanted me to update you on how things are going in Anima!"

"I'm always interested in that. Whatcha got?"

"He said that when you have the chance, he wants to send you some ideas for Mortem. He also has some pictures of the flower viewing festival that you missed." Ruby scrunched up her face in a passable imitation of my favorite smith. "He also said 'Always make sure your sword arm's sharp, 'cause trouble's brewing.'"

"Trouble is always brewing," I replied, thinking on other matters as the elevator came to a stop. "I'm just glad that with the dance coming up, we'll have a break to-"

"Are you discussing the upcoming Beacon Dance? Sensational!"

"PENNY!" I caught Ruby as she leapt upwards in terror, the girl robot standing right where the doors opened. Even with Chronometry, my heart skipped a beat or two in surprise. "Is there something we can do for you?"

"Oh no, I was merely instructed by General Ironwood to wait here until he returns from Vale. He says that he has much to discuss with me on some of my orders!" Penny paused, before neon green eyes lit up. "Oh! I am standing in the pathway of the elevator! Excuse me!"

Ruby and I stepped out into the hallway, before turning back to Penny who was still standing right outside the elevator. Then I remembered a specific talk that I needed to have with Penny, before turning to Ruby. "Hey Ruby, I've got something that I need to chat with Penny about. You can go on ahead and get back to your team, maybe let my team know that I'm on the way back as well."

"No way, I'm not getting within ten feet of an angry Melanie Malachite!"

"…Fair. I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow then." I grinned and raised my hand. "Nice job tonight, Normal Knees."

"I'm never gonna live that down…" Ruby grumbled, though she high-fived me nonetheless before heading down the corridor and out of sight.

"Hello again, friend Kouzai! Is there a particular subject that you wished to converse about?" Gods, if I could bottle up some of Penny's pep…then again, her lifeblood was electricity…

"Yeah, I wanted to talk about the dance, and more specifically, someone that's going to be at it." Penny's face remained eager. "Someone we both know." Still eager. "Someone that you're interested in."

"I am confused as to the individual in question."

"I have to teach you about pointed conversations at some point." I muttered, clearing my throat before the android made a note of that. "I'm talking about Mercury. From what I've been told, he'll be attending the dance, and that you requested that he attend. Any particular reason for that?"

"During one of our talks, where I spoke about the Beacon Dance, he mentioned that 'having a dance with four metal legs involved would be at the top of his to-do list'!"

"…Guess I'm teaching sarcasm too." I dragged a hand down my face. "Is that the only reason?"

Penny then fidgeted, looking every bit the part of a downcast teenager. "I have noticed that Friend Mercury has been rather lacking in energy over the recent weeks. I have read that social interaction with others and having exposure to various physical environments allows for a shift in mental and emotional outlook, and wished to help him in that regard."

'Yeah, not gonna lie, being holed up in Beacon's cells probably isn't great, but…' I ran a hand through my hair. "I agree with what you're saying Penny, but there's a legitimate security risk in case he tries to escape, or if he ends up hurting someone at the dance-"

"He won't!" Penny's expression was almost indignant. "I believe in Friend Mercury's genuineness. He agreed to all the stipulations presented to him for his attendance, and I will believe in him."

I held her gaze. "Remember Penny, you and I are the ones most responsible for watching him during the dance. You really think he'll be on his best behavior, surrounded by people he fought against, including the guy who beat the crap out of him, ala me?"

Unblinking eyes stared back. "I do."

"…Ah geez, fine. Staring contests have become unbearable for me anyways." I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Just…stick by him, alright? Something tells me you'll be the one he chats up the most anyways."

Perfectly white teeth gleamed. "Of that, I have no doubt. Oh, perhaps I could even have my father take pictures as well!"

"Your father? Pietro Polendina? He's coming to the dance?" I racked my brain for any hint of Pietro being around Vale, but there wasn't a hint of him being in the kingdom in canon.

"Indeed! He wishes to do a checkup on me before the Vytal Festival!" Penny's face became frighteningly neutral. "If I am to be honest, I am thankful that he will be coming to Vale. There was recently a break-in at my father's laboratories."

"What? What happened?" I was baffled.

"There were no damages, and the extent of the investigation thus far has revealed no theft," Penny reported, though there was a tremble to her tone. "However, I am still worried for my father's wellbeing."

"And that's perfectly normal," I reassured Penny, as an idea popped into my head. "Hey Penny, when General Ironwood comes later, could you maybe bring up the idea of your dad overhauling the CCT system? After all, the more things he has to do, the longer he'll be staying in Vale, right?"

"Oh, what a wonderful idea!" Before I could back away, metal arms had already entrapped me. "Thank you for your assistance, Kouzai!"

'Oh, this is gonna hurt…'

… … …

"…So let me get this straight. There is a destroyed and burning warehouse…"

Jaune ruffled his hair nervously.

"An actually smoking crater of a construction lot…"

Coco fiddled with her beret.

"Don't forget all the White Fang soldiers that we left for the VPD to bag!" Sun exclaimed.

"…That's actually good."

"I know, right?!"

"Regardless, the extent of the property damage from tonight isn't exactly light…how did Goodwitch and Ironwood take it?" I eyed my scroll, as Jaune, Coco, Sun and I were having a debriefing on our evening's events.

"The general was pretty happy that we were 'proactive', and even happier that we managed to track down the Paladin. Shame that the tech didn't make it out in one piece, otherwise he might've given us a medal." Coco smirked, her boundless confidence returning in droves.

I glanced at the section of the scroll screen where Jaune was. "And Goodwitch?"

"…There was some shouting…"

"…"

"Okay, a lot of shouting!"

"…"

"…And some eye twitches and hand-wringing…"

"…"

Jaune sighed. "And I swore I overheard her mentioning something about 'early retirement at this rate'…"

"That sounds about right. Did the hammer come down on anyone?"

"Nope. We were never there." Sun's grin was on full display.

"We got off scot-free, especially considering we've got a mission coming up." Coco was back in smug mode.

"Goodwitch said she'd let us off _this time_." Jaune looked rather sheepish.

"Alright, so shockingly, none of you are in detention until the end of time. That's good. Luckily, Ruby and I came out fine as well." The rest started to question what happened, but I held a hand up. "Before we get to that, now that we've got the bad news out of the way, let's talk on the good that came out of the mission tonight."

"Now we're talking. Thanks to my team, the White Fang has lost dozens of-"

"We know." Three simultaneous shutdowns had Sun quiet down, but Coco was on a roll. "We wiped the Paladin out, and sent Emerald packing with her tail between her legs."

"And JNPR fought Cinder and drove her off after dealing some pain to her." At this, Jaune was proud, likely for his teammates' efforts.

"I'm still not exactly happy about that last bit." I groaned. "Wouldn't CFVY have been a better match for Cinder? Considering the last time they met."

Coco shook her head. "No can do, Kouzai. In the moment, we needed to allocate our resources, and Fox was the best sensor, we had to take Emerald. Loving the favoritism though."

I ignored the comment. "Meaning that JNPR was the obvious choice to step in to fight Cinder."

Sun grumbled. "I resent the implication that they're stronger than us…but yeah, Pyrrha alone could probably wipe half my team."

The sounds of Pyrrha's embarrassment floated in from Jaune's scroll, and we all chuckled.

"So in summary, the rally was completely stomped, and the Paladin was destroyed, but Cinder and Emerald got away?" The rest nodded. "Alright, I suppose that's as good as we're gonna get in this situation. The only way things could've gone better is if we managed to catch Emerald, but I don't blame anyone. The Paladin alone is an impressive accomplishment."

"Damn right it is, I'll be icing my muscles for days." Coco made a show of stretching, but her smile remained. "Gotta say, taking down a giant death robot is a pretty good ego booster before we head out on our mission."

I pursed my lips at the reminder of their upcoming departure, but Jaune interjected. "So Kouzai, would you like to fill us in on what happened while we were out in Vale?"

"Yeaaaahhh, so the short of it is that Ruby and I were making a call to one of my old friends. I stepped out to take a call from Miltia, and came back to find Ruby and Neo going at in in the CCT. I held Neo off while Ruby got everyone else out, then Neo got a good shot in before using her Semblance to nope out of there." I could tell the rest were mulling over the possibilities.

"So the rally might've been a decoy then, to draw our attention away from Beacon." Coco mused.

"They're doing multi-pronged attacks now. Pretty sneaky if you ask me." Sun smirked, despite the situation.

"Still, I'm thankful that you and Ruby were around to head Neo off." I scowled at Jaune's statement, and the knight tilted his head. "What?"

"You wouldn't be too thankful if it took two of the craziest smiths on Remnant interacting with one another to happen…" I replied darkly.

"WHAAAT?! Ruby called Weylin and you didn't tell ME?!" Nora's voice exploded out of the scroll's speakers.

"And on that note I'll be calling it a night before things get even more out of hand. Be seeing everyone tomorrow." I exchanged my goodbyes before we all signed off, and I tossed my scroll onto my bed and laid down on my back. After a minute though, the tingling on my head made me glance over at my partner who was staring at me. "What?"

Pale blue eyes appeared to be scrutinizing me. "It was just lucky how you and Ruby were at the CCT when Neo arrived."

I shrugged on the bed. "Ozpin and Ruby mentioned that it might've been an attack on either Ruby or I, considering our run-ins with Neo at this point. Whether the goal was to hit a person or the CCT though, I'm just glad we happened to be in the right place at the right time."

"…You're a terrible liar."

I could already imagine Prim laughing at me and I smiled sadly. "I know."

**A/N: That's the wind-down from the literal explosiveness of the night out, and the herald to the upcoming stretch of school life content. Just to need to mention again the craziness that this past year has been, in the best and worst of ways. Still blown away by the positive response that my story has managed to generate, and I'm looking forward to keeping things up. Thanks again. Now for reviews.**

**AlexFalTon: Perhaps my explicit description of the characters hasn't differentiated them well enough from their status in canon, but it'll likely become clearer. Thus far, the characters that are stronger than their canon counterparts at this point in time include the twins, Ilia, Pyrrha, Nora and Ren. Most notably, the characters whom Kouzai has encountered for an extended period of time and managed to work on fixing their weaknesses.**

**Raidentensho: Yeah, the virus being planted into the CCT system is really the lynchpin behind Cinder's canon plan. Without that, a lot more effort has to go into generating enough fear for a kingdom-destabilizing event, so Kouzai will definitely be trying to stamp that one out.**

**Gizmo Gear: Ah, the results of any plan or action are something that I enjoy considering and writing when it comes to this story. With so many canon events coming up and so many things changed from canon, there is much to think about for both writer and character.**

**Blueassassin996: Oh, with Cinder lacking some Maiden powers and integral human appendages as a result of the Specter, a death sentence is the least of what she wants to bring Kouzai's way. As for Salem, an immortal's outlook on setbacks is bound to be different, but some annoyance and irritation has definitely cropped up at this point.**

**Tom Ato: I can one hundred percent see Salem saying that about Ozpin, among other choice things.**

**-SE**

**Next Chapter Date: 09/02/20?**


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